


shiki reverse nature

by omniXenderman



Category: Shiki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Action, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-04-16 19:12:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 63,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4636968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omniXenderman/pseuds/omniXenderman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>what if natsuno decided on a whim to talk to megumi on that fateful day at the sotoba gateway bus stop. what if he stopped her from becoming a shiki at kanemasa. lets take a look into the events of shiki if you shuffled the cards and played a new hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. chapter 1

Natsuno woke from a restless sleep. he had been having bad dreams as of late and it was causing his sleep cycle to be spotty. They were beginning to interfere with his studies, and he needed to get into a good university in order to leave sotoba village, an isolated little town his family moved to as a means for artistic inspiration. Natsuno hated it bitterly. There was nothing to do, and some the people left a bad taste in his mouth, especially Megumi shimizu. The girl was his age and had a huge crush on him. She often stood outside of his window at peeped at him. Generally she only saw him studying, but who knows how much she had seen, how many of his secrets she knew. It even started to give him nightmares. Then again, nastuno had never so much as looked at her, so there wasn’t any particular reason why he disliked her, other than the spying. He shuddered as he remembered the night dream.

"Damned dreams again…” Natsuno sighed.  
His nightmares were harsh. Usually he would be sitting at his desk studying. After many moments of boredom he would inevitably fall asleep. Megumi was waiting in the bushes nearby, something would prompt her to enter the home, the room was dark and the air chilled. Natsuno could see her shadow looming overhead. Her eyes were black, and her skin was pale. She opened her mouth, and in the dream Natsuno could clearly see ivory fangs, two inches long. As she continued to edge her way closer her mouth opened wider….and wider….she was mere inches from his neck…as she was about to sink her teeth in, Natsuno rose from his slumber.

"Jeeze, I know shimizu can be creepy…but she’s no vampire…” Natsuno thought. He could imagine her sitting perched outside of his window even now. Just how many hours had she spent pining after his affection, just beyond his threshold?

 

“Hmm…its 8:15…I guess I really should go” Natsuno said apathetically. He said goodbye to his father quickly as he jogged out of the door. Natsuno walked along the dirt path along to the bus stop. it was an incredibly bright sunny day, very hot but pleasant all the same. The villagers were out and about, performing their daily errands and talking about this that and the other thing, stopping occasionally to gawk at Natsuno and spew their gossip. Natsuno paused to look at the mansion up on the hill. it had an ancient European style of construction and reminded him of a castle...an extremely creepy one.

"gehhh...creepy…why would someone build that here? " he said with a slight smirk cracked across his face

natsuno arrived at the bus stop and took a rest, the walk was long, and in this hot weather it was a little exhausting. He turned south, the direction of the city he moved from. He let out a disappointed sigh.

"Man...What were my parents thinking moving to this place, there is nothing to do save for look at dirt, and most of the people here think outsiders are strange. Not that i really try to make friends, that would make it hard when i leave someday, hopefully soon. i-"

Natsuno was interrupted mid thought

"Good morning yukki! staring off at the city again?" a familiar voice said enthusiastically  
A dreadful look crept across his face” her again…”  
He remained silent.

"Your still ignoring me then? you hate me so i guess that makes sense" she said gloomily

“What if I said something to her? Maybe she would leave me alone…or at the very least stop spying on me if I deal with her.” Natsuno sighed.  
"Look, its not like that…guess its too late to call it back…”   
She lit up instantly  
"Oh my god! yuuki talked to me for the first time!" she was ecstatic  
“great…I’m in deep now…shimizu, I don’t hate you…not more than any other villager at least…..i’m not really the friendly type, so don’t misinterpret my silence as contempt.”  
“oh….okay” she looked sullen for a moment  
"I just want to leave this village and go back to the city as soon as I can, so I’m not in the neighborhood to make friends. “  
"I've always wanted to go to a city! i can't stand sotoba!" she said excitedly.

“didn’t you hear me, I’m not trying to make friends…don’t bother talking to me…I have nothing interesting to say anyway.” Natsuno rubbed his forehead.

"oh, I’m sorry….but will you answer one question?” she stared at him hopefully. “will you tell me what the city is like?” he could see the stars in her eyes.  
“well….there are lots of lights and signs at night. Tall buildings everywhere…and everyone stays out of your business…in short…way better than sotoba”  
“really?! Wow! It sounds way better than this disgusting little village!” she sneered.  
“I'm in this far …I guess talking to her isn’t so bad….i take it you don’t like sotoba either?” he said reservedly.  
Megumi pulled down her eyelid and stuck her tongue out at him. “bleeghhh, this place is the worst” Natsuno couldn’t help cracking a grin, but hid it as soon as it appeared.he took a deep breath and dared to ask her another question.  
“So…you’ve been living here your whole life right? What do you do…besides spying on me… to stave off boredom.” Megumi responded to him enthusiastically and with a smile.  
“well…there really isn’t much, not even a single clothing store….i like to look at the big mansion on the hill.” Her eyes gleamed. “its soo pretty!”  
“The one with the blue roof?....its totally creepy.” Natsuno said, looking in its direction. Megumi looked disappointed for a brief moment.  
“At least its new, I hate living in a village where nothing ever changes.” She lowered her head.  
“yeah…I understand that much at least….” Natsuno said, looking her in the eye.  
“at least you talked to me right?” she blushed. Natsuno could goosebumps on his skin as his spine shivered.  
“whatever…” he groaned. “oh look, the bus is here….” Natsuno hurriedly got on before Megumi could get another word in edgewise. The school day passed uneventfully, Megumi didn’t try to bother him, or tail him anywhere. And his whole day was more peaceful than usual. He ended up walking the path home , Megumi stopped him once or twice to ask him questions about the city, and one about their assignment, but other than that much, left him alone.  
“well, this is where I leave you shimizu….maybe I misjudged her...then again, she’ll probably be outside of my window tonight….later.”  
“yeah…bye Yuuki.” She blushed as she peeled off for her own home. As Natsuno walked into his homes den, his father met him with a greeting.  
‘how was school son? Who was that girl?’  
Natsuno shrugged him off.  
“nothing, she wasn’t anyone to me…..just needed help with an assignment.” His father was about to give him a hug, but Natsuno brushed him away as he walked to his room. He immediately made a dash for the window, a quick peer outside made him realize that Megumi was nowhere to be found. He smiled with delight for a moment. Soon though he grew exhausted. He meant to lay on his mattress and stretch, but ended up falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  
The next day  
*yawn* Natsuno clicked his lips after that long sleep. This was the first time in weeks he had a restful slumber. The nightmares Natsuno was plagued with for the last several days had all but vanished after his conversation with Megumi.  
"what a dumb thought,” Natsuno sighed  
A thought occurred to Natsuno. He wondered if Megumi perhaps got the wrong idea from their chat a few days ago. She kept saying things like "At least you talked to me!" Did she think he was interested in her in a romantic way? Natsuno only talked to her on a whim. After all, he didn’t really care what Megumi did, as long as she wasn’t spying on him.  
Natsuno got dressed in his school uniform and went to leave. He was moving quite fast and missed the greeting his father gave him, he couldn’t care less about his parents or what they said, and after all, they moved him here in the first place.  
"i wonder when Shimizu is going to get here." Natsuno scratched his head  
Natsuno waited for a while and realized she must have been sick. He felt k relieved, he wouldn’t have to explain his actions the day before,  
"Where is the damned thing? I'm gonna be late for school at this rate!" Natsuno was growing irritated when someone on a scooter drove by.  
"HEY! Do you know when the bus is supposed to get here today?!" natsuno yelled at the man excitedly.  
The man stopped to talk with Natsuno for a bit "You are aware that it is sunday today right?"  
Natsuno's jaw dropped."i-its sunday?.........i put on all of my school clothes and its sunday?! Damn it!" Natsuno thought about the words his father said....He realized that his father must have tried to tell him the same thing.  
The man laughed a little bit "You are Mr Yuuki's son right, the artist? how are you finding sotoba?"  
"Wait, who are you?" Natsuno said  
"I am terribly sorry about that. haha. My name is Seishin, I'm the Jr. monk at the temple up on the hill over there. We actually have not seen your family there before so i thought i would talk to you if i ever found the opportunity." he smiled politely  
"my family is strictly non-religious.." Natsuno smirked a little.  
"My, that’s a shame. Well, if you ever find yourself needing something, you will find that the temple is always open to you"  
"Haha! I'll keep that in mind! Maybe you can help me walk up to the old mansion on the hill.!" natsuno meant that in jest, but Seishin looked a bit concerned.  
"You know, the owners moved in today, you should pay them a visithe had an earnest look about him.  
Natsuno thought back to Shimizu, she seemed so smitten with that foreboding place. Natsuno himself was curious, and sotoba was tedious. So he decided to give it a look. He thanked Seshin before he set off on the path to the hill.  
two hours later

"I hate sotoba! I hate it! HATE! IT!" Megumi shouted at nothing in particular. "I'll show them im not like these villagers, i'll show them my style, I can walk like a model!" Megumi started an awkward gait forward, one foot in front of the other with the leg in a diagonal position. She didn’t have the grasp of it quite right though and fell flat, nearly twisting her ankle.  
"oww! That really hurt, *sniffle*" she sulked at her failure.  
"shimizu? Hey, what happened?" natsuno came bounding up the hill to meet her. "ii was walking up here to check the place out myself."  
"oh my god! yuuki saw my fall! Oh! I Hope he doesn't think less of me!" shimizu had an uttely flustered look plastered all over her face as she thought that. but she tried to play it off "nothing happened to me! hehe. i was just walking and tripped! yup! i was just yelling about my fall!" she desperately hoped he did not hear her yelling about the village, as far as he knew, she was just dissatisfied with it. if he heard that yelling he would think she was a total freak.  
"try not to do anything stupid alright" natsuno had a warm look on his face, despite trying to hide it. "the last thing you need is to get hurt…” he moved his hand and scratched the back of his hair.   
Megumi was utterly starstruck, a million thoughts raced through her mind at once, Natsuno noticed and backed away a little.  
"oh crap.... i think she got the wrong idea again.” Natsuno quickly dusted Megumi off and they started to talk a bit more. Suddenly the doors to the mansion opened.


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all is not as it seems at kanemasa

The castle sat upon a large hill in the village, its many steeples and pillars cutting the sky. It had an ominous air about it, thick and heavy. European style mansions were rare in japan, rarer still in isolated villages. Of course this was the cause of much gossip and debate amoung the villagers.  
"why would someone move there?" "What would posses someone to build something like that in a small place like this?" the many voices and the many questions they asked never ceased. Finally the day came for the people to move into the house, and the village was curious as ever.  
The doors to the mansion opened. The two teens standing across from them were lost in curiosity. Even the gates on the mansion were sinister, big and red, curled unnaturaly and adorned with golden plating and decorations, like the gates to fancy hell. Finnaly an eloquent looking man and his servant came to the front of the gate.  
"My my! is your girlfriend hurt sir? I could hear her shouts even from inside these walls." said the man. Megumi had stars in her eyes at the sound of that comment. not only was she meeting the man who owned the castle she so adored, but he acknowledged the truth of her affections as well.  
"She-shes not my girlfriend, we just decided to look at the mansion when we heard that the owners moved in today, and she fell so i helped her up!" Natsuno was sweating solid gold bullets, and Megumi looked dissapointed when he said that.  
There was a short pause and the man finnaly said" I'm terribly sorry for assuming something different, but it is quite amiable of you to help a young girl in need... She lookes a bit scoffed" the man noticed a small cut on Megumi's knee "If you so desire you may come in to my home, i would have my servant here patch you up. Hahaha" The man had a hearty chuckle...one you would expect someone of wealth to own.  
"i didn't catch your name." Natsuno said, he had a cautious look on his face, in the city people would not invite others in so readily. He was slightly taken back but decided to shrug it off against his better nature.  
"Ah yes, my name is Seshiro Kirashiki, the blue haired man next to me is my servant tatsumi".  
"how ya doin?" Tatsumi asked in an overly friendly way.  
"Wow! We would so love to come in and look at suck a beautiful mansion!" Megumi was exstatic! SHe had always loved that place ever since it was built, but never in her wildest dreams did she think she would get to go inside "Come on Yuuki!"  
"But i-i. sure....whatever. hehe" Natsuno laughed nervosly. He was reluctant to go into the home of a man he just met, but Megumi's cheerful presence put him at ease. So Sehiro led them inside.  
The group walked down a long hallway, the walls were a clean white, with the same gold style ornamenting that was on the gate. The walls were occasionaly interrupted by an entrance to another section of the home, or the odd column. They were at last let into a foyer room with a small table and a few seats.  
"Well you two, have a seat. Tatsumi, fetch us some tea and a bandage for the young lady here."  
"right away sir!" tatsumi answered in the same overly friendly fashion  
"So, is it just you and tatsumi here? This seems like an awfully big place for just one man." Natsuno asked, he was still very nervous.  
"My, heavens no, I have a wife and a daughter. They have a rare medical condition where they aren't supposed to go out during the day, so they are asleep right now!" Seshiro seemed to look to tatsumi for approval...at least Natsuno thought so, but it was a fleeting look so he could not be sure. Megumi didn't notice, she was totaly oblivious, there were far to many distractions for her, she was sitting next to the object of her affection, in the house of her dreams, she may as well have been foaming at the mouth and passing out, she was so excited.  
"So young man, why are you in your school clothes today? you must be quite estudious"  
"Yeah Yuuki! What's up with that?"  
".......i forgot it was sunday today......"  
"hahahaha! the other two laughed in unison"  
"Why did your family move to a poe-dunk town like this?" megumi asked, slightly irrataed  
"My family loved the scenery, and we found quite the deal for the land here."  
"Ha!" Natsuno laughed triumphantly at Megumi  
The three kept up the conversation for a long while

a few hours later

"Well it is getting late, Shimizu and i had better get out of here." Natsuno said, the sun was setting in the sky "I'm sure our parents are worried about us!"  
"Aw i don't care about them Yuuki, I want to stay a bit longer!" Megumi pleaded  
"Why my family should be able to come out now, You Simply must meet them before you go!" Seshiro seemed to put importance on that. "Ah here they come now!" A tall beautiful woman and a little girl walked into the room. They had pale skin and dark eyes......Natsuno thought something was just a bit off about them.  
"This is my wife, Chizuru, and my daughter Sunako!" Seshiro introduced them excitedly  
"How do you do?" the little girl asked politely to Natsuno  
"We do ok" Natsuno said back.....still put off by the little girl  
"Oh my gosh! You are simply the most beautiful girl i have ever seen....next to me of course! Hahaha!" The woman took Megumi's hand and held it close. "What beautiful nails, you just HAVE to tell me who does them for you"  
"Oh wow! do you think so?!" Megumi was drowning in pleasure from the Woman's compliments. Sunako moved closer to Natsuno. The woman was about to kiss Megumi's hand, but Natsuno noticed something strange....  
"Are those...Fangs?!" without thinking Natsuno closed the gap and grabbed Megumi's hand away, and he said whatever he could to come up with to form an excuse to leave. "Yeah! my girlfriend is really pretty isn't she! That is why i love her so much. Hehe. heh. hahahaha!" Natsuno laughed like a nervous madman. "Hey Megumi, we should really get out of here, we don't want to smother these nice people with our love! Hahahahaha!"  
"Yuuki...loves me?! Oooh hooohooo hehehehe" Megumi giggled like a little girl "Whatever you say Yuuki!" She was swooning at that point still totaly oblivious to what was happening, and to Natsunos facade.  
"Oh my, you simply must stay for a few more minutes" the woman said  
"But we really have to go" Natsuno stuttered, and backed away, faking a freindly smile  
"Oh please!" Sunako asked, her eyes pleading, advancing towards him  
"Our parents will be worried, they might think Megumi and I are up to no good!"  
"We can call them for you young man, We will be sure to let them know you are not up to anything...of ill repute." Seshiro said  
"That is real nice of you and all, but i have to study! so i should walk Megumi home."  
Seshiro seemed to grow dissapointed "Well, if you must go you must go. but please let us return the favor of your visit, may we come by your home sometime?"  
"you will have to meet me at the door. I'm not sure how my dad would feel about inviting people to our home, though im sure he would like the company" Natsunos heart was pounding out of his chest.  
Seshiro had to hold back an irritated grunt."well at least let tatsumi see you out"  
"Thats allright, hah.....we can find our way out"  
Natsuno grabbed Megumi and nearly flew out of the mansion  
"I am so glad we got out of there!" he panted at megumi on the path to her home  
"Why Yuuki, they seemed like such nice people. Why do you look so scared for?" Megumi looked very concerned for Natsuno  
Natsuno had to think of a believable lie " I-I just felt so embarrased talking with such affluent people...especialy in my school clothes. hahaha." natsuno hoped desperately that she would fall for the lie.  
"Aww, Yuuki, you 're so cute! I thought you looked totaly cool in that place. There was no need to feel embarassed, I'm sorry if i made you feel like that"  
"phew" Natsuno sighed in relief. the two finnaly arrived at Megumi's house. Natsuno said good night to Megumi "Oh, hey shimizu, if you ever plan to go to that house again be absolutely sure you tell me, i would want to try another visit with less embarassment.....you just have to tell me......don't go without me! and be careful!" Natsuno nearly yelled that out  
"I-I Um ok! good night Yuuki....i mean Natsuno! hehehe!" she giggled like a little girl again and went inside  
As Natsuno was walking home he started to think "Were those really fangs?.....why were they so pushy to keep us there a few more minutes........why did that little girl keep getting so close to me.......Oh shit....." Natsuno remembered the lie he said to Megumi when he was trying to haul it out of the mansion "What am i gonna do now! Megumi thinks i like her.......What the hell am i gonna do? How could i possibly cover for this...Damn!" Natsuno slammed his fist into a wall. He reluctantly walked home, unable to take his mind off of the incident that happened today.

 

meanwhile  
"Do you think he noticed my fangs, when i was about to bite that girl? he seemed to get antsy when i held her hand, and he moved to her side just as you were about to bite him, Sunako. and the way he dodged the wuestion when we asked for an invitation into thier homes...do you think that boy has any idea what is going on?" chizuru was nervous, and bit her fingernail.  
"Hmm.... Tatsumi!"  
"Yes ma'am?"  
"I want you to spy on them for a few days,.... See just how much they have gleaned.......This puts a stall on my plan.... I was hoping on feeding on them right then and turning them both." Sunako had an irritated look on her face  
"I will be sure to live up to your expectations milady!" Tatsiumi looked friendly as ever....but with a sadistic grin on his face this time  
“If i recall sunako, the boy didn’t seem to like her very much when we first met, but changed his tune when chizuru showed up” Seshiro had a confused look on his face  
"Now that is Curious......" Sunako sent tatsumi out and set out for the woods in the mountains..


	3. chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> megumi needs natsuno to run an errand, and sunako meets with the junior monk

Natsuno walked along the path home. He could hear insects buzzing about and animals scurrying in the woods on the other side of the road. He was more than shaken up, the events of the day still hanging in his mind. Just when everything seemed to be growing peaceful in his life too, Megumi was no longer spying on him and he was able to get a good nights rest the day before. His first in weeks. After that visit to the mansion however... things seemed more confusing than ever before.  
"what happened back there, " Natsuno was deeply lost in thought. Nothing was making any sense to him. Nothing at all. "With all of this stress lately, i must be seeing things... I have to be! But why did i jump to Megumi's side so quickly....and say something like that!? Even if she was in danger, What does it matter to me? I would probably be better off without her anyway....so why?!" It was true, Natsuno spent many a night worried about her spying activities. The things she must have seen. The things she must have thought!   
"Hello again."   
"GAH!" Natsuno was ripped back to reality "sorry, you kinda snuck up on me there."  
"My apologies for startling you. Fancy seeing you twice in one day, What are you doing out at this late hour?" Seshin was walking the path opposite the direction Natsuno was headed  
"Oh...I'm......I'm just walking home," Natsuno was still quite paralyzed from the experiences of the day and found speaking difficult.  
"Is something wrong? You seem distressed," Seshin gave Natsuno a concerned look  
"Don't worry, its nothing. I've just had a rough time of it over the last couple days," Natsuno faked a smile and nearly walked off when Seshin lightly grabbed his shoulder.  
"Ah, i see. Listen, this might not mean much coming from me, but i know moving here must have been very shocking. I can imagine that a sudden switch to a life like this can be quite draining. You have my sympathy."  
"I-I don't know what to say...I appreciate the kind words." Natsuno felt a little bit moved by what the monk had to say. It was one of the rare times someone in that village had said something genuinely kind to Natsuno, without any ulterior motives. Generaly the villagers would ask you questions in an attempt to get gossip information. If they said hello to you it was also for the same reason. There were only a few villagers that Natsuno held in a better regard, and this Seshin person had a comforting preasence to him.  
"By the way, how did your visit to the mansion fair, I hope you found the people accepting."  
A look of dread slipped over Natsuno. His eyes grew wide and his jaw sagged, but he reeled it in quickly "They were very nice, er well the man was. But i didn't see his family for long, they had a medical condition or something and couldn't come out during the day......but something was off about them.... I can't quite put my finger on it." Natsuno didn't want to say anything about the fangs, after all, he didnt know if it was real. For all he knew the stress of the last few weeks had caught up with him and he just hallucinated it. Seshin would probably think he was crazy if he said more.  
"I'm sure you must have been nervous around them. i don't think all three would be odd."  
"Not all three.....Just his wife and daughter......Especialy his daughter" Natsuno thought back to the little girl , how she kept getting closer to him, and realized he was saying more than he wanted to. "you know what, never mind. It was nice seeing you again. I will be sure to visit you at the temple sometime, it might be fun."  
"Well im glad to hear it. Good night." Seshin started walking back up to the temple and natsuno headed home  
Natsuno walked into his home and his father greeted him.  
"i was a bit worried son, you should check in if you are planning to be out all day/"  
"sorry dad, i just got caught up with stuff."  
"yeah i bet you did....considering "stuff" called me a few minutes ago asking for you, She must be a really special girl. To be honest, i didn't think you were into that kind of thing." Natsuno's father had a sly grin cracked across his face, he chuckled for a moment.  
"How did shimizu get my number?" Natsuno was nearly floored by that thought.  
"Can you call her back?" What could Megumi possibly want with him, they had spent the whole day together...  
"Sure, I bet you two lovebirds have a lot to talk about," the grin on his fathers face grew even longer  
Natsuno looked at his father with daggers in his eyes. Natsunos father re dialed the number and the phone rang for a few beats.  
"hello? Shimizu residence," it was a mans voice, sonding gruff and a bit gargled.  
"yes, this is Yuuki, did someone from this number call here earlier asking for me?" Natsuno sounded apprehensive, he had never talked to anyone in Megmi's family. For that matter, he had barely talked to megumi before today.  
"Ah, my daughter called asking for a boy named Natsuno or Yuuki or something like that, you him?" a voice could be heard shouting in the background  
"DAD! GIVE ME THE PHONE!!!!!" That voice rang through Natsunos ears, like it always did.  
"What did you want Megumi....?"   
"i-i um, just wanted to know if you would go with me somewhere tomorrow! I have a few errands to run and i want you to come with me!" Megumi cold barely choke that out. Natsuno almost felt sorry for her. He realized that that must have been hard to ask.....not that it made him any more willing to say yes.  
"I don't think....well....i...*shudder* guess.....ok....." Natsuno had no desire to spend extended periods of time with Megumi.....The very thought of it threw him for a loop and left him on the ground, gasping for air. However, this could be a good chance to probe her mind, she might be able to confirm or dissuade what he saw at the mansion......he could also try to find some way to cover for that lie he told her, Nasuno certainly hoped that she didn't get the wrong idea. Knowing what he knew about Megumi, that would be wishful thinking. She probably would cling to any hope whatsoever...no matter how faint it was.  
*squeal* Megumi's voice rang in Natsuno's ear again. "The errands i need to run are closer to your side of the village so can I stop by to get you?"  
"I don't see why not...... *gehhhh* By the way, how did you get my number?"  
"Oh, your dad is an artist right? I just called the gallery from a buisseness card my dad had."  
"well thats a relief. I'm glad she didn't go through my garbage looking for a piece of paper with the number on it.....I might have misjudged her just a bit," Natsuno couln't help but chuckle at that thought. "alright Megumi, I feel tired, so I'm gonna go." *click*  
Natsuno hung up the phone pretty fast, he was wary of Megumi trying to talk with him more, the stress of the day was far too much....and he was unable to deal with much more. so he walked the long hallway into his room and threw himself on the bed.....his window was open...and he could hear a faint rustling outside. he went to check it  
"What the-" Natsuno saw a shadow outside just behind a few trees. It seemed to stare into his soul, eyes glowing red. Sinister intent hung in the air around it. That thing reminded him of the nightmare he had about Megumi a few days before...only this was here. This was standinig a few paces away...so close...so very close. As soon as natsuno saw it, it vanished. "Is Megumi spying on me again?!," Natsuno nearly spat with rage, until he realized.....Megumi lived clean on the other side of the town, there was no possible way she could have gotten to his window after hanging up the phone at her house so quickly!  
"I-I-I.....j-just need to sleep.....I'm seeing things again......" This was going to be a rough night.

 

Sunako had just exited the mansion gates, this night was cool compared to the past few, and she wanted to go enjoy it....or more accurately, experience whatever modicum of joy she was still able. ever since that day.....ever since she became like...this, life was fairly empty, having to feed every night.....having to hurt so many peple. Time had long since passed since she had grown cold to the world. She wanted to feel more...she was desperate for it. She was willing to do whatever she could to feel some shred of happiness, some ping of belonging. The company she kept at the mansion was more acceptible than lonliness, but she wanted a place to truly be safe, after all, most would sooner hammer a stake into her small frame than give her the time of night....She was willing to do whatever she could to force her ideas to come true...for better or worse.   
Her thoughts rang back to the young man she so nearly killed hours earlier. His eyes had that same empty feeling she knew so well. Even if he did not realize it himself, that feeling will leak through. She felt a bit sorry for him...Rarely did she feel this version of sympathy. Generaly it was the sort of feeling you would give to livestok you were slaughtering or an animal you were hunting, a fleeting ping of regret for the life you take so you can recieve sustenance, something you get over quickly. This feeling lingered however, and in truth she was thankful she could know it, perhaps she was not as cold as she believed herself to be.  
"I still need to feed..." Sunako continued walking along the path to the village temple. There was a fiction authour who lived in the village that she wanted to meet. The books he wrote were always about lonliness or being forsaken, something of that nature. Dhe felt an almost childlike sense of awe at how those books rang through her feelings. He may as well have stolen the thoughts right out of her mind. She pressed onwards up to the steps. as far as she could before that horrible fear set in. It always happened around sentimental and religious things, it was part of her.....affliction.  
"hello there, may i help you with something?" A voice spoke softly to sunako from above the steps.  
"Yes, thank you. I'm looking for a man named Seshin Muroi, Have you seen him?" Sunako was slightly unnerved by the preasence of a monk but it was nothing she could not shrug off, she even considered feeding on him, were it not for the temple so close behind.  
"Yes, I am Seshin, What did you need of me?" Sunako lit up, another rare feeling for her. She regretted the thought of feeding on him, now that she knew who he was.  
" I just wanted to say that i liked your books! ive read all 6 and the magazine articles you have written!," Sunako wnted to say more, but she found herself a bit starstruck.  
"wow! that's everything I've done! I have never met someone who has read them all, especially not as young. Do you enjoy reading?" Seshin was touched by what the little girl had to say.  
"Yes, very much. My father had your books in his library and he loved them so much he decided to move here." Sunako spoke with the same facade she had been keeping up.  
"So, your family is the one that lives in the large mansion?" Seshin remembered talking with Natsuno a few hours ago  
"Only his wife and daughter were wierd.....especialy his daughter" Those words resonated with Seshin for a moment.  
"You know, i just spoke with the young man who came to visit you today," Seshin figured the little girl might want to talk a bit more. He had nothing to be done, so what was the harm, he might make her day.  
"Really? What did he have to say about me?" Sunako asked that abruptly. She figured that she could glean some information and save tatsumi a bit of trouble.  
"I, well.....he said you were lovely people," Sehin was a bit startled by how fiercely she asked that question.  
"Thats ALL he said?" She was still rather irritated in asking.  
Seshin didn't want to tell sunako about natsuno's comment.....Why hurt her feelings? "Yes, that was all he said, he seemed quite distant when i spoke with him so i don't think it was on his mind." Seshin thought Natsuno may have a shred of merit when he said this girl was odd, though she didn't seem to be mean spirited.  
"Well, that is a relief, I was afraid I made a bad impression on him! haha!" Sunako was really struggling to keep up her act.  
"I can understand that. Well, unless you need something else I should get going back to the temple." Seshin was about to walk away when Sunako turned to talk to him one more time  
"By the way, no one ever dies from cutting thier wrists like that...." Sunako turned and headed down from the steps, leaving Seshin forlorn and shocked near the top.  
"She certainly is strange..... sorry i doubted you Natsuno." Seshin walked along the path to the temple and situated himself in its main table, he had a novel to finish.


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> natsuno and megumi make their way to the clinic, he finds himself caught between a rock and a hrd place when the viillagers start to harass them

Megumi went to the mirror in her room. She looked hard into its shiny gaze. Any flaw in her appearance had to be quashed immediately, for it was nearly time for her to take Natsuno on her walk. In truth, she wanted to give him a postcard, she had picked it out a few weeks ago but could not muster up the courage to present it to him...She couldn't even mail it. That was why she asked him to come with her.  
"He's actally talking to me! Maybe now.....maybe now!"  
Megumi finished primping her pigtails, her long pink hair coming down in two zigzagged puffs, locks veering off in several directions. She had always had a...unique....fashion sense. Her outfits had a gothic lolita style to them, not at all unnapealing, but rare in such a small town. The villagers would usually make fun of her when she wore them though. This was a special day for her, she put on her most daring outfit for her plans today. She had never actually worn it around the village, never an occasion. It was a low cut, shoulderless purple cupped dress with a leopard print body,frilled skirt and purple stockings, with stilletos, and a necklace of gaudy purple pearls around her neck. It was her very favorite.  
"yuuki is going to l-o-v-e this, ooh i can scarcely imagine!"  
Megumi slipped out of the door, her parents would have kaiboshed her going out in an outfit like that if they had seen, but she was elusive enough to get by unnoticed. She started towards Natsuno's house, but it was clear on the opposite end of the village, so the walk was quite long. Megumi passed several villagers on the way, and they really started to lay into her when they noticed her clothes.  
"my, my, what a little flirt"  
"what could she be wearing that for?"  
"She is so strange!"  
"She must be loose or something!"  
"Whore....."  
Megumi fast paced towards Natsuno's house, pelted by insults and smarmy remarks the whole way there. She started to grow angry but didn't want to stall and yell back on the way to her destination  
"what is their problem........no one gets me....what do they care....they are just jealous of my beauty! so screw them!" Megumi kept thinking the same thing over and over on her trip to no success, and she grew ever more depressed. Her face grew a little red and tears started to bead up in the corner of her eyes, were it not for the villagers in such close range and her destination just on the horizon, she would have started crying. Living here may not have been as bad as it was for her if the villagers were more accepting, but they felt a need to snuff out any deviation from the norm.  
Natsuno's house was in sight. She could remember all the times she would spy on him and take a clean path left, beyond the treeline and perch behind the bushes. She hadn't spied on him in a few days however. Ever since he started talking to her, she never really felt like it. she gathered what composure she could muster, walked up, and rang the bell. It actually felt a bit wierd for her to go to the front door instead of the window.

Natsuno stared out the window with gaped eyes. the figure that haunted his preasence the night before vanished as quickly as it appeared. ITs image still burned into natsuno's mind.. He had been staring at the same spot for the whole lenth of the night and into the morning, His blood curdled at the thought of the thing. Its eyes burned into his soul...its hollow...red....eyes. Only after his father nocked on his door was his trance shattered.  
"Son, that girl is at the door....She looks Dressed up, you guy's going to a fancy dinner?....ha!"  
Natsuno remembered the call the night before... He regretted saying yes to her offer, but he needed to pick her brain...and ask about that thing he saw....Maybe she really did spy on him , and she might give it away if he broached the subject to her.  
"Tell her I'll be out in a sec..."  
Natsuno rushed to put on some clothes, he never really cared for style and just threw on a yellow t shirt with khaki pants, and a plad jacket with a fur hoodrim. He went to the mirror and made lackluster effort to tame the unruly mass of purple hair he had. His eyes looked bloodshot, evidence from his nightly struggles, and you could tell at a glance the level of his insomnia.  
"maybe i should see the clinic doctor today....i'm gonna be out anyway..." He squinted and rubbed the rocks out of his eyes.  
Natsuno made his way through the hallway and passed his father who noticed his somewhat beraggled appearence.  
"Son, you look a bit sick...are you feeling ok?"  
"i was gonna stop by the clinic while I was out today. I might be coming down with a cold or something...as if....i haven't slept right in days... but i'll see you later dad." Natsuno edged past his father and made it to the front room, he noticed Megumi's face peering just inside his home from behind the door....She looked a bit red in the face and what he thought to be tired. "Whats up with her.....it is a bit hot today"  
Natsuno opened the door to see Megumi standing just beyond the concrete porch. He noticed what she was wearing "...dad was right...she is dressed up....wow...."  
"Hi yuuki...." She said gloomily.  
"Megu-I-Uh.....hi..." Natsuno studied her form it that dress, she looked elegant and daring at the same time. it reminded him of some of the outfits girls in the city would wear. He liked it...alot.  
"Are you ready to go?" She still had that sad look in her eye.  
"Wha-What....sorry, there is no blood flowing to my ears right now...you look-uh...really nice in that..." Natsuno was a bit hesitant. he never really took notice of girls before. In all fairness they never really took notice of him either. "No focus! She was stalking you remember! get a grip!... Yeah, lets go Megumi....by the way, do you mind if i stop by the clinic sometime today?"  
Megumi's downtrodden demeanor lifted when Natsuno started to make a fuss over her clothes. The hearts in her eyes nearly exploded. "What's wrong yuuki? Feeling sick now that school is just around the corner?"  
"i....haven't been sleeping lately, I'm sure you notice how i look."  
"Aww.. Natsuno....I-I'm sorry," Megumi looked genuinely concerned, Usually She just seemed to stare at him like he was a peice of meat.  
"It's not your fault....Thats a bit of a lie.... but thanks, i apreciate you going out of your way for me...what was it you needed to do today anyway?"  
"I wanted to pick up some groceries, and maybe grab something to eat, but thats it, we can go to the clinic first if you want!"  
"thats it? i thought she wasked me to go because she wanted me to move a heavy thing or something, but going to the clinic would be a good chance to break off this little outing, i can ask her what i need and then say I'm too sick to go any farther... that sounds good megumi, thanks."  
They started the long walk down to the clinic. The village was shaped like a triangle, Natsuno's house was at the west corner, Megumi's the east. The clinic was at the tip of the triangle to the north, all in all it was about 2/3 of a kilometer walk. A bit of a trip on such a hot day. Megumi also had to walk from her house to Natsuno's, that path was about a third of a kilometer long. after a few minutes of walking Natsuno Started to question megumi about the day they went to the mansion.  
"Megumi? Did you notice anything wierd about the mansion owners wife and daughter?"  
Megumi glared at Natsuno and yelled back in his face" WHATS SO WRONG WITH BEING DIFFERENT?!! JUST BECAUSE.....I-I'm sorry.....that wasn't meant for you...." Megumi sorely regretted her outburst, Natsuno looked flabbergasted.  
"I, didn't mean wierd like i think you thought i meant.... sorry if i hit a nerve.... I meant did you notice anything ....off...about them, like unnatural, or creepy?"  
"No...Nothing like that, Like i said, they seemed like really nice people. The only thing wierd was that the womans hand was really cold.....but the man; Seshiro? Said that they had a medical condition, so that would make sense. Why would you even ask me something like that?"  
"I think i might just be seeing things. Lack of sleep and the like, thats why i wanted to go to the clinic, I just needed someone to tell me i was being crazy is all." Natsuno let out a small sigh of relief.  
The duo continued walking the path to the clinic, cutting through the more populated section of the village,, and Natsuno started to hear the familiar gossiping wispers, this time however, they all seemed to be directed at Megumi this time. She grew more visibly upset every minute they spent walking through Natsuno was growing more angry too. He had always hated the way they clicked their tounges at him, or how they always had something hushed to say to each other, usually something about him. Then one young man said something particularly nasty Natsuno heard on the breeze.  
"Hmp! those two are perfect for each other, it stands to reason the big shot city boy would get with the village tart. I always knew she was easy." The man snorted in disgust at thier direction  
Megumi heard it too, and a few tears started to roll down her face, she tried to hold it back but it was not working very well. At that point Natsuno had had enough. Normally he would be able to hold on to enough restraint to stop himself from retaliating when the villagers said something to him, but after all of the strain he was going through, he was at his breaking point and lashed out at the man. Natsuno ran to his direction and pinned him to the wall.  
"I'VE TAKEN ENOUGH FROM YOU PEOPLE! FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO IN YOUR PPATHETIC LIVES THAN GIVE US SHIT, WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU?!" the man snorted in Natsuno's direction again and Natsuno delivered a swift knee to the mans ribs, knocking the wind out of him. Natsuno was spitting fire at that point, and some old ladies were looking on in shock. Natsuno was fuming with anger, he wanted to keep kicking the man, but barely held on to his resolve, this situation was already bad enough.  
"keep on walking!" Natsuno shouted at them "I hate this damn village!" as he punched the wall the man was gasping under.  
Megumi was looking at Natsuno with sad reddened eyes, She started to tear up more.  
"I'm sorry about that Megumi......I- with all that has been going on lately, I just lost my cool, I didn't mean to drag you into this...I can't possibly imagine the storm of shit this is going to give me later today....these people will spread this all around the village by noon....... its just been so-" Megumi ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his chest, she pressed in tightly and started to sob.  
"They're so horrible! they always make fun of me! Everyone thinks I'm some kind of weird freak. I hate living in this stupid village!" Megumi had apparently reached her limit too, she was usually so cheerful around Natsuno, even after all the times he ignored her she stil tried to feign a smile. The foundation just crumbled beneath her and she started to let all of those frustrations out. After all, she didn't really have anyone to release her emotional pressure on....no one she really liked anyway... It was a good thing Natsuno was there or she might have gone crazy given the opportunity.  
Natsuno was a bit taken back, he didn't really have any idea what to do in this situation so he just stood there with his arms held out while Megumi clung to him. He tried to speak up, to say something that might help diffuse the situation.  
"Hey...hey. Don't worry alright. you're gonna be ok....jeez no wonder she was so into me, if they treat her like this on a daily basis, then i must have been the light at the end of the tunnel.....It kinda makes sense why she was stalking me so much.... Come on, lets get out of here, I think we've caused enough of a scene." He spoke softly to Megumi and separated from her gently. Megumi wiped her face off and the two resumed down the road to the Ozaki clinic.  
Natsuno noticed a man and a woman coming out of the clinic, the woman had long dark blue hair and a pale complexion. The man was walking her back to his car saying things of encouragement into her ear.  
"that woman looks really sick...." Natsuno looked on in curiosity as the car drove away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ozaki delves deeper into the mystery of the sotoba epidemic, and n atsuno realizes megumi may truly care for him after alll

Ozaki paced around the clinic. He lit up a cigarette in an attempt to curb some stress. But the usual buzz was quite ineffective today. He scratched his head and sat in his swivel chair, hands over the back of his neck. He started to think fervently.   
"There have been far too many deaths as of late....ten in the past week. Something is wrong. Sometihng is terribly wrong.... What could be happening? The victims don't follow any set pattern, old women, children, young men? Its all random.....the only thngs that seem to run in common are certain symptoms before thier deaths....anemia and fatigue...somehow spiraling into critical organ failure..... That is usually what seals their fate...  
Ozaki finished his first cigarette quickly and sparked another in its place, letting out a puff of smoke here and there, He was still getting nowhere with the buzz they gave him, his thoughts were far too intense. He heard the door to his clinic slam open. It ripped him from his line of thought when someone came shouting for him.  
"Toshio! Toshio! Come quickly, Nao is sick! I don't know what to do!" A young man came bounding into the clinic with a woman on his arm. He was a very slim clean shaven man with a grating voice. The woman had dark blue hair and an attractive figure. She was unable to stand on her own and had a ghostly pale complexion to her.  
"mikiyasu? What in the world?" Ozaki was left mouth agape, he didn't quite know what to make of the situation at first glance, but soon came back to his senses. He called his staff over and started to shell out orders.  
"Everyone get moving! I want a blood test in the works now! Ritsuko get an I.V. ready with water. Sasori, prepair her for a C.T. scan!" Ozaki moved over to the young woman. She was panting heavily. He began to check her pulse. It was a bit difficult for him to get a grip on her wrist. It was shaking heavily, and her hands were clammy.  
"her pulse is off the charts! Someone get a stretcher for her, take her out of here. I need to have a word with her husband. She has the same symptoms as the others... I'm sorry Mikiyasu, Nao might not survive this...." If Ozaki was stressed before....then he was a wreck now. He took the man and walked just outside of the clinic, rubbing his temples the whole way. The pair finally stopped and sat down in a small gazebo on the clinics outer perimeter. Ozaki turned his back to the man and started to speak.  
"Why didn't you come in yesterday when we called her! You knew she was sick, and you just left it alone!?" Ozaki slammed a fist on the wooden table below. Mikiyasu grew a frightened look on his face.  
"You...called us yesterday? Nao never mentioned anything like that.....In fact, she just kept saying she was fine the whole time......over and over...... She was in her current condition when i brought her to you. I only came here because she got even worse than before!" Mikiyasu started to tear up. Ozaki's aggresion lifted at the sight.  
"Just tell me about how she has been acting lately, the way she was eatng, her mannerisms, hobbies....anything out of the ordinary you think may have been a trigger for this..." Ozaki closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly and sparked up yet another cigarette. Mikiyasu went throught a laundry list of things he knew Nao had been up to over the last few weeks, but none would trigger or be a sign of any kind of illness. Finnaly he said something that piqued the doctor's interest.  
" About three days ago, our family was celebrating a festivle. In the middle of our activities a man and his daughter came up to us..... He said that he was the owner of the new mansion. We offered to let them stay and enjoy it with us, but they said they were buisy. So all of us offered to let them visit us sometime. Then they just up and left...... There was something...off about that little girl, i can't really explain it." Mikiyasu put his hands on his face and let out a concerned sigh.  
"Don't worry. I'm sure this is just caused by stress. She had been working alot lately right? We are going to patch her up and send her home with you....I don't want to have her stay here and risk infecting the other patients who come in.....or I can call a government hospital if you prefer."  
"No, that's ok, i can take her home, our son would worry, she couln't possibly be that sick right?"  
"Thats the spirit."  
The two went on their way, they passed a purple haired boy and a pink haired girl in a fancy dress on the way to thier car. Nao locked eyes with the boy for a split second before they drove off.

 

Natsuno walked into the clinic, Megumi following close behind. He turned to the green haired nurse sitting at the front desk. She looked a bit distressed. and was fidgeting with her hair. He went over to her and started to speak.  
"Excuse me ma'am, my name is Natsuno yuuki. I was wondering if i could see the doctor. I have had some trouble sleeping lately, and my father suggested i stop by."  
The yong woman turned to him, a bt suprised by his presence. "Oh, you must be tohru's friend right? Sorry about your trouble....but i don't think the doctor is in any shape to see patients at the moment. He just finished treating a serious case a few moments ago...so He is feeling a bit drained, i can make an appointment if you-" The nurse was cut off by a gruff voice coming from a backroom  
"Don't worry abot it Ritsuko, send them in!" Ozaki peeked his head out of the door, a cigarette clung to the corner of his mouth. Natsuno noticed the smell and flinched, he never liked those things, remembering how his father would smoke pipes when working on sculptures. Reluctantly, Natsuno and Megumi made way into the small room....that awful smell still clung to the air.  
"So...what seems to be the problem.....I wonder if this kid is yet another victim of whatever has been going around," Ozaki scratched the back of his head.  
"Well.....I haven't been able to sleep very well the past few days, and i think i might be hallucinating." Natsuno looked kind of embarrased, he hoped the doctor didn't think he was crazy.  
"Have you noticed any other symptoms, like fatigue or anemia?!" Ozaki asked that rather boldy, he forgot some protocol aspects he should have abided by.  
"I am a little tired, but like i said, i haven't slept in a few days....."  
"Sorry if i asked that out of the blue. A cold has been going around lately and i figured that is why you had asked for me...i hope he buys that.... So, tell me about these hallucinations."  
"It all started a few days ago. I went and visited with the owners of the new mansion, Megumi here, was with me......Near the end of the visit his wife and daughter came out.....The man said they had some form of medical condition and had trouble with sunlight. I thought there was something creepy about them, especialy the little girl. The woman started talking to Megumi, she grabbed her hand...and i saw fangs in her mouth. I thought the little girl kept trying to get really close to me too.....And lately I have seen someone or something outside of my window. It's really scaring me." Natsuno sighed and Megumi started to fawn over him, but he brushed her off aggressively.  
" A medical condition that makes you unhealthy in sunlight? I"ve never heard of something like that......Natsuno, what do you usually do on a daily basis, have you been having any violent outbursts?" Ozaki was thoroughly curious at this point, he was entrenched it the young mans story.  
"I study for hours a night every day, as for outbursts.....I...Kind of.....Kicked a guy in the ribs earlier today. The villagers were gossiping about Megumi and I, and then he said something really shitty to us. She started to cry and i just retailiated without thinking...normally I just ignore what they say about me....i want to leave this place anyway so what do i care what they think." Natsuno was growing irritated at the memory. He got an angry look in his eyes.  
"I don't think that something like that would be caused medically....I probably would have done something similar if someone made MY girlfriend cry. Haha. As for the studying, you need to tone it down and take a good long rest, i understand the desire to get out of here, truly i do, and some of the people here can be quite....abraisive...but don't let them get under your skin...its pretty boring here. Most of them have nothing to do but talk. I tell you what, I'm gonna give you a small prescription of sleeping pills, and I can give your father a call about your little perfuddle today, I'm sure something like that would spread like wildfire here....It would be better if he heard it from me and I explained the situation fully to him. Trust me, I'm a doctor. Poor kid. I know how he feels. I wanted to get out of the village when i was his age too."  
Natsuno was shocked at the doctors kindness, he found it difficult to respond aft first. "Thank you...I...people like you are rare here, You are one of the few who care....By the way, shimizu is NOT my girlfriend..." Megumi let out a sigh of dissapointment when she heard that last part. The duo picked up their things and walked out of the clinic and walked the path to the cafe.  
Ozaki chuckled to himself. Then a thought hit him really hard, "crazy kids.....Wait a minute......Mikiyasu said sometihng about the Mansion owners too, and then Nao got sick....Natsuno said the little girl was weird, the same as Mikiyasu, just a dream I'm sure...but that is one hell of a coincidence.... and and illness that I've never heard of? I'm a doctor for christs sake! I need to investigate this more! I'll give Seshin a call later, he might have valuable information for me."

"Yuuki, I didn't know you were that sick! If you need anything from me, I promise you I will do it! OK? Don't deal with things on your own, I will always be here if you need my help!" She said that with an almost childlike earnesty. Megumi started to fawn over Natsuno again. He let her this time.  
"She actually cares doesn't she?....All this time, I just thought she was a vapid bitch.....What an ass I've been....I should probably stay with her today, The villagers are sure to give her more grief. She must truly NEED me....I'm suprized she could hold it together for this long, the way they treat her...The way... I... treat her. Hell, she might have gone on a killing spree in some other world where I never bothered with her." Natsuno sat down for a minute. he turned to Megumi.  
"Hey....Megumi. I'm sorry... I've been treating you really badly.....I just...I don't want to get close to anyone here....I want to leave this place so badly....and i don't want to make it any harder than it has to be when I leave." Tears started to bead up in his eyes, "Thats not really fair to you...or anyone else.....I never even gave you a chance.....i just kept ignoring you, without thinking about how you felt... Even with all the spying you do on me...I finnaly understand why...What could you possibly see in such an ass like me!?"Natsuno gritted his teeth in frustration, The sudden wave of empathy was gnawing at his soul. He nearly broke down sobbing.  
"You knew about that? I....I must have been the one making you lose sleep, I can't even....All the pain i must have caused you.... but the way you defended me today! You really are kind even if you seem cold sometimes. I've always hated this place too. One day a new guy moved into this village. I was so excited! This place had finnaly changed, and when I saw you looking with the same dissapointment I have, I guess i just Identified with you.....I think I took it way too far though....I went crazy, You were one of the only people who didn't call me a freak everyday, even if you still ignored me, that was far better than how the villagers treat me. No one understands me here, and I totaly melted when i thought someone did.....I'm sorry too...I never intended for things to get so chaotic, But I just lost myself..." Megumi started to tear up too. The two leaned in closer, a gentle breeze rustled through Megumi's pink pigtails. Natsuno could smell her perfume on it. It was a very subtle sweet smell. The sun shined brightly in that moment as the two inched ever closer.... Their lips gently touched. But only for the most brief moment.....Then Natsuno pulled away akwardly.  
"......I Uh.... We better get moving, I'm starting to get hungry Megumi. W-what cafe did you want to go into anyway? Come on..." Just then a van pulled up next to The two. Natsuno could hear the gravel crunch under its large tires.  
"Hey guys! It's hot as hell out here, Don't be stuck walking, I'll give you both a ride, Eh ritsuko?" A young man and the nurse from the clinic were sitting inside.  
"Eyes on the road!" She hit him in the back of the head in a playful manner.  
"Tohru?" Natsuno Looked into the van with surprize.


	6. chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tensions rise as megumi gets possesive over natsuno from tohru

Ritsuko waited at the clinic desk. There were several papers and files scattered about, handiwork of the recent string of death and illness that plagued the village. The resident doctor, Toshio Ozaki, never had much of a desire to organize. With all the chaos going on lately….it wouldn’t be practical to improve that skill anyway. The sunlight glittered on a corner of the desk. Ritsuko leaned her head in and basked in its warmth for a moment. Her shift for the day was a short one, soon to be over. There was only one patient in with the doctor; a young man with purple hair. After the he was done, Ritsuko planned to leave.  
“I wonder where he is. Tohru said he would stop by for some reason…” Ritsuko parked her car by one of the small shops that peppered the village. She leaned back in her seat and cracked a window. She took in a deep breath of fresh air, letting the smell permeate her lungs “haa! Fresh cut grass, how I love it so!’ she started to nod off into a deep nap, when a friendly voice snapped her tether to the daydream.  
“Hey! You showed! I was hoping you would help me with my driving practice again.” A young man leaned his head into the open car window, peering over her with a stupidly happy grin on his face. The sunlight shined through his blond hair, causing it to glow. She gently pushed his face back out of the window and clambered over the gearshift into the passenger seat.  
“So that’s what you wanted… I should have figured. You know that I will always help you; you don’t need to keep calling me out here. I’d be perfectly happy to pick you up from home, Tohru.” She smiled warmly at the boy. Ritsuko popped the lock to the other door and tossed him the keys. “Now take it slowly, back up out of this parkin-agh!”. Tohru hit the gas suddenly. The car bounced as the quick burst of acceleration hit a violent stop. Ritsuko’s eyes grew wide in shock, a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. “You moron! You nearly scared me half to death!” Ritsuko balled up a fist and gave a harsh thump the back of Tohru’s head.  
“Hahaha! Ow! What was that for? I just thought I would have some fun. It’s kind of a bland day.” Tohru rubbed the area. A small bump started to swell in the back of his head.  
“Now, I want you to try for real…if you scare me again I’m going to hit you harder. Just put the car in gear and take it slowly.” The stern look in her eyes made Tohru feel somewhat afraid.  
“alright….here we go,” Tohru took a deep breath and reached for the clutch. He slowly shifted the car into gear and made off on the road. The tires crunched under the gravel, and plinking sounds could be heard under its metal frame. “Where do you want to drive to anyway Ritsuko?”  
“Let’s go to Hasegawa’s bar, I’ve been craving the pasta he makes lately” Ritsuko made a slight slurping sound and Tohru noticed a drop of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth. Tohru drove for a few minutes, checking the road more often than he needed too. The roads in Sotoba were in a dilapidated condition so the car bounced and grumbled over the rough terrain.  
“Hey, is that Natsuno over there? And …Shimizu?! Ohohohoho” Tohru looked over in the direction. Natsuno was sitting on a bench outside of a small run down shop in the distance; Megumi was kneeling at his level and the two were leaning in closely. “Hey Ritsuko! Let’s mess with ‘em!” Tohru had a devilish grin on his face. He turned his head slowly in their direction. Ritsuko delivered another wallop into the back of Tohru’s head.  
“Don’t you dare ruin their moment!” Ritsuko had a fire in her eyes that made Tohru shudder again. Tohru waited until the duo separated and began to walk up, before pulling the car around to them.

 

“Hey guys! It’s hot as hell out here, do you wanna ride along?!” Tohru leaned in Natsuno’s direction through an open car window.  
“Tohru?!” Natsuno was surprised to see him driving a car. Megumi backed up behind Natsuno a bit and clenched a fist. Natsuno could hear her knuckles cracking, and saw a small trickle of blood drip down her fingers. “What the hell is up with her?!”  
Tohru leaned in closely to Ritsuko and whispered in her ear. “I didn’t know Megumi smoked…..but why does she have two cigarettes at once?”  
“She doesn’t……Those are her eyes……..” Ritsuko whispered back to him in a frightened manner and grimaced, while Megumi stared back at them with an unparalleled glare.  
“just when I finally have alone time with my Yuuki…..HE has to show up and ruin it……Burn in hell Tohru Mouto…. Yuuki, I don’t really want to ri-“Megumi was cut off as an excited Natsuno threw his hands up in the air.  
“You would do that? Thanks….. It is way too hot today. Glad we don’t have to walk anymore.” Natsuno made his way to the car door. He moved to open it but a strong gust of wind made it difficult. “are you coming Megumi?” She didn’t respond, but reluctantly made her way,face buried with defeat, along with Natsuno into the seat and sat next to him. She started to lean in closely to him, trying to force another moment like the one they recently had. Natsuno tried to back up a bit but found the seatbelt getting in the way.  
“Megumi and i……How do I even feel about her? Why did I let that happen… I don’t know if I want this…. ….this is nice though...no one has ever really fawned over me like this….my parents just seem so cold to me …I'm so tired of fighting…..so tired….so…ti-“ Natsuno’s eyes grew heavy. He struggled to keep them open. He leaned back and started to fall asleep, landing unconsciously on Megumi’s shoulder. She exchanged a knowing look with Ritsuko, and put her arm around him. She leaned in closer, eager to take advantage of his vulnerable moment, her eyes started to flicker as well. She nearly fell asleep herself.  
“hey…Natsuno….are you asleep?” Tohru whispered gently to the back seat of the car……Megumi shot another fierce glare his way and began to grit her teeth. The slits in her eyes narrowed every passing second.  
Natsuno’s eyes widened slowly. A look of utter dread and fatigue was plastered on his face “…not anymore…..thanks for that by the way…ugh…I have a headache.” Natsuno squinted and rubbed his eyes while Ritsuko whispered in Tohru’s ear.  
‘Tohru….Natsuno stopped by the clinic today, it might be a good idea if you let him rest.” The concerned tone in her voice made Tohru worry.  
“aww..sorry Natsuno, I didn’t know…not sleeping enough?” Tohru sulked in the other direction for a moment.  
“Yes…Tohru…..he has been having trouble lately….if you had been a better friend you might have known that...” Megumi almost choked on her bitterness, she could barely talk through gritted teeth.  
“Megumi!....it’s kind of your fault you know” Natsuno perked up, he was a bit shocked at Megumi’s candor.   
“no..no…She has a point, sorry I wasn’t there for you more.” Tohru chuckled.  
“that…thing….it might be here tonight as well…or… it might not even be real…what am I thinking?” Natsuno remembered the nights before. The dark forest outside was surrounded by pine trees. The recent drought had killed many of them off, and their dead swaying branches made him feel uneasy. That dark figure always stared at him, always looked at him with that horrible hunger. Ever since the day at the mansion, ever since he saw those fangs, nothing was able to go back to normal. He wanted things to change in that village, but…that was not the sort he had in mind. “Tohru…and Megumi too…they care for me. Maybe not everyone here is so bad.” The faces of those two flashed by in his mind, it took a panning glance at them and smiled. “I might be thinking a bit too much,” Natsuno started to nod off again.  
The car pulled around a left turn and crossed by some small houses. People walked to and from their destinations, aimlessly, only stopping occasionally to talk with the other villagers, or to wipe sweat from their brows. The car came to a stop-sign, and someone came up to say hello.  
“Hey Tohru! How’s it going!” a tall lanky student with a sunken in face made his way to the car window.  
“Masao! Hi. Need a ride?” the two shared an awkward smile.  
“Yeah that would be great I can finally get out of this heat! I would love to-“ Masao looked over to the back of the car and saw Natsuno and Megumi sitting together. “Shimizu…wow…i…..Natsuno…god damn you! What does she even see in you? You’re such a cocky jerk…I really hate you!” he grew a bitterness that would rival Megumi’s. “on second thought, I would rather walk….” He shot an angry look in Natsuno’s direction.  
“aww come on Masao, let it go, come on. Just get in.” Tohru looked on at his friend with a blank stare.  
“I DON’T WANT TO! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!” Masao screamed that at the top of his lungs, his thin hair-like lips curled into an angry snarl.  
“jeez! Sorry, I’ll just go then.” Tohru rolled his eyes and put the car back in drive. The group had quite a bumpy ride on the way to their destination.  
“What a creep….blegghhh” Megumi stuck her tongue out and made a vomiting motion.  
“You can say that again…..what did I ever do to him in the first place?” Natsuno scratched his head in curiosity.  
“I don’t understand, why did that boy get so mad all of the sudden?” Ritsuko looked back at Natsuno with concern.  
“Masao kind of hates him, isn’t that right buddy?” Tohru patted his head and spoke in a baby talk voice. Natsuno grabbed his hand and gave one of his fingers a harsh bend. Megumi smirked at the painful face Tohru made.  
“Knock it off dude! And keep your eyes in front, you might get us killed driving like this,” Natsuno said with faux anger  
“oh hey we are here!” Ritsuko chimed in “this place makes the best food!” The sparkle in her eyes lessened the awkward state Tohru had made with Natsuno.

 

Tatsumi stood behind a tree, staring in the direction of a stopped car, his senses were far superior to a human’s so he could easily make out the sounds coming from across the distance. “why is Sunako having me spy on those two anyway…it’s been three days and he has never let out any hints that he might know what is going on…..she sends me on the stupidest tasks sometimes…so what if he ran out of the mansion…..maybe if I extort the people close to him……he might have told a close friend something, if he saw anything…..i have to turn more people anyway…at the pace we are moving it would take years to claim this place. I would just turn that purple haired kid myself, but what fun would that be? …I think I might screw with his head some more…it will be fun to watch him squirm…Sunako wouldn’t approve, but I need to have something else to do besides spying on such a boring guy” Tatsumi let out a devilish smile, fangs bared…. He licked his lips in a sinister way….He could smell the blood of the villagers in the air, it was such a delicious pure scent. It was no surprise that his master wanted to claim a place like this. “I’ll be seeing you soon…Natsuno Yuuki….very soon….”


	7. chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ozaki lashes out at seshin, masao lashes out at natsuno

Seshin strapped on his helmet. He took a moment to gather the supplies he needed and placed them in a green duffle bag. Many of the objects he had were papers; various documents, most of which…death certificates. Every day more and more people are dying off in the village but no major cause or source could be identified…. Dr. Ozaki enlisted the Jr. Monk’s help in pinpointing the cause of this epidemic…but every inch he dug deeper into the problem only dredged up more questions. That was where Seshin was headed to now.  
“Seshin, surely you have noticed something weird happening in the village… all of de deaths and illness lately, there is no rhyme or reason to it…I want you to come by sometime and brainstorm with me….i could use someone to talk to.” Those words rang in his head ever since the Dr. asked them a few days ago. From what Seshin understood, Dr. Ozaki had gone to one of the finest medical schools in the country…no problem was outside of his grasp, until now. If Dr. Ozaki needed his help, moreover if he asked for it outright, then the situation must be dire.  
Seshin walked the long road down the old temple steps. They were cracked and stained from erosion. The temple patrons did the best they could to maintain them, but in this village, even the stone seemed to lose its will. Seshin stepped carefully; one foot misplaced would send him caterwauling down the entire path. A fall down so many steps would surely kill anybody unfortunate enough to trip. Once he reached the bottom of the flight, the monk came to the usual spot where his gas powered scooter stood parked against the tree-line. It was a drab olive green color, a shade that was a bit less vibrant than the bag he carried, with beige trim, like the trim on his robes. A warm breeze rolled through his hair and he stood for a moment to take in the scent of the flowers.  
“I hope that I can be of some kind of help to Toshio. This village is looking to be in a sinister grip….so many deaths over the past few weeks, and I… the funeral head for all of them. Seeing the sorrowed faces of these people is almost too much for me, I want to fix this. I want to make them smile again.’  
“Toshio, I hope you have some modicum of an idea what you are doing”  
Seshin hopped on his scooter and started the ignition. The old bike cracked and roared to life, making popping and plinking sounds. He made his way around the village, he stopped to talk to the various people hit with the disease…or…whatever this was. But all seemed to give him a similar answer  
“they were fine, until about 3 days before they died, that was when they started getting sick….and they quit their job so suddenly”  
“3 days, quit their job”  
“Quit their job”  
“Quit their job”  
“so…most of these people got sick and died after 3 days….and they quit their jobs too….why in the world…” he came around a turn, the clinic just in sight. He had to squint when he looked near it, the sunlight reflected harshly from its cream walls. Ozaki was sitting just beyond in it in the small gazebo that sat on its outskirts, smoking a cigarette. Seshin parked his mini-bike next to the clinic steps and started walking calmly over to the Dr. . Ozaki puffed a ring of smoke in the direction opposite to Seshin.  
“Toshio, how have you been?”  
Ozaki turned around; he was startled by Seshin’s sudden appearance, and jumped a little bit.  
“Oh, there you are….i called you days ago. What took so long? Did you get the information I needed, any other anomalies too?” Ozaki released another puff of smoke. The air was thick with the stench of tobacco. blue-ish white fog swirled around his head and Seshin swatted some away from his face. He flinched when another puff found its way into his nose.  
“yes, these are all of the deaths since summer” Seshin read aloud a long list of names, after each he handed the Dr. the corresponding document . “and finally….as of yesterday….Nao Yasumori….that makes 30 in just three weeks.” Seshin took a deep breath and a moment of silence for the deceased.  
“Nao?! I guess she did have it….she was in the clinic just a few days ago. Mikiyasu must be a wreck, sorry if that was hard to deal with…” Ozaki’s lips curled into a snarl….”I am so worthless!! All of these deaths and not a single thing has been figured out! What the hell is happening to my village?!” Ozaki thought back to a time when he was young. A sad memory of his father surfaced in his mind.  
“as the only Ozaki air it is your job to care for the village….any loss of life is a disgrace to our family!”  
“Now that you bring it up…Mikiyasu seemed very calm…….almost like he was in a trance or something. He looked pale too.” Seshin scratched his head. The behavior of his old friend perplexed him so.  
“Did you find out anything else….were there any other similarities?” Ozaki had a looked to the side with a scowl plastered across his face.  
“Yes, actually. Several of the people in question quit their jobs…..everyone who died quit….and several families moved out far in the middle of the night, no goodbyes or notice, not even Mrs. Takema……and she was a police officer’s wife….this makes no sense…nothing does….you know…a few people said that the little girl at the mansion had visited them….i met her too, she seemed like such a sweet child…but she said a few very odd things…..”  
“that cut on your wrist was worthless, no one ever dies like that. Hehe!”  
Ozaki slammed his fist on the table, every word Seshin said made the scowl on his face deepen. Finally he hit the breaking point.  
“WHO CARES IF PEOPLE LEFT THEIR JOBS OR MOVED OUT! YOU’RE WASTIN VALUABLE TIME WE DON’T HAVE! DO SOMETHING USEFUL FOR ONCE AND CHECK THE VILLAGERS FACES TO SEE WHO IS GOING TO DIE NEXT!” Ozaki kicked a board next to the wooden table, spitting it in half. Splinters and shards flew about the place and Ozaki gripped his knee in pain. He staggered off belligerently kicking and swatting as he went. “I’m yelling again…just like my father..graaahhh!! why can’t I do anything about this….but the mansion again….i’ll check them out….i’m sorry Seshin.” Ozaki walked into the clinic, the stench of alcohol burned at his nose. He lowered his head defeated and glanced back at Seshin, who had an understanding look pointing in his direction.  
“I’m so sorry things have put you like this my friend…I know it isn’t you… I will see what more I can do about this problem.” Seshin sighed as he walked away back to his mini-bike. He started the engine and Ozaki heard the cracks and pops slowly fade away.  
“if I recall…those people have a live in doctor….maybe he could offer me a second opinion...” Ozaki lit another cigarette and slowly walked into his office.

 

Natsuno walked alongside his friend. The twilight in the village was quite beautiful, filled with many hues of red and pink. There was no pollution in the village so no yellow was present in the magnificent sunset at all. If any sight in the village Natsuno may have liked, it was surely this one  
“Tohru….would it be ok if I slept at your place tonight? I think a change of scenery could help me get some rest….Megumi won’t stop calling me, not that I mind…..but there is still the matter of the other thing” Natsuno grimaced at the haunting memory.  
Tohru dawned one of his typical sly smiles. They usually stretched the whole length across his face, the longer they were the more excited he was. Usually he had some kind of fun plan or wanted to ask for a favor when he smiled like that. He put his arm around Natsuno in a wrestlers clinch motion, one hand above his head ad he drug him in the direction of his home  
“I would love it if you stayed over! There was something I wanted to ask you about anyway”

A few hours later  
“Tohru! Tohru! Did you hear?! Nao died! I saw the pole-bearers carrying her coffin across the trail!” Masao burst through the door, he yelled that in his usual grating voice. Tohru looked up from his game in surprise. Natsuno looked up from a magazine he was reading. He glanced at Masao but only briefly, before returning to his read. This angered Masao and he turned a sharp glare at Natsuno.  
“You know Natsuno…..you’re cold. People are dying left and right and you don’t so much as bat an eye. Are you just stupid or is there something actually wrong with you?” Masao sneered at Natsuno with a smug look. Natsuno continued to ignore him. But this only sent him into a frenzy.  
“HEY KID, DON’T IGNORE ME! I'M OLDER THAN YOU!” Masao grabbed Natsuno’s scruff and stared at him with gritted teeth and bulging eyes.  
“The deaths don’t bother me because I don’t know these people, dude. Do you cry everytime you see a death on the news? Why should they bother me? Its sad people are dying sure, but since I didn’t know them then they aren’t worth much more than a fleeting thought to me, if I was an emotional wreck over every person I don’t know who died, then I couldn’t function in society.” Natsuno spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. Masao mistook this for malice however and snorted back at him gripping his shirt tighte  
“But doesn’t it bother you that Nao was so young? With a family too, she must have had so many regrets!” Masao snarled at him, the fire in his eyes burned at the mere sight of Natsuno.  
“Young people die all the time. Like I said it’s kind of sad but it’s not my problem…it’s a matter of probability.” At that point Masao readied to punch Natsuno but Tohru grabbed him and held him back.  
“Tohru! Let me at him! He’s cold! A heartless monster, didn’t you hear about how he hurt a villager the other day!? Why are you holding me back!?” Masao kept struggling but with every movement, Tohru held him tighter.  
“I know he seems kind of cold, and he can act impulsively sometimes, but think man! He is also being rational right now! Let it go, for god’s sake Masao! Let it go!” Tohru kept a tight hold of Masao and caught a couple of off kicks in the struggle. Masao finally calmed down and slammed the doors open.  
“fine….forget this! I’m out of here!” Masao walked off and slammed the door again. The whole house vibrated and some lint fell from the ceiling.  
“Seriously Tohru….What is his problem with me. Its like everything I say is acid in his ears or something. I mean, he hates me more than Megumi hates you…and Megumi really fucking hates you Tohru. Honestly she won’t shut up about it…it kind of bugs me.” Natsuno scratched his head in curiosity, and let out a small sigh before returning to his magazine.  
“hey Natsuno…..about that favor…..i wanted to ask Ritsuko on a drive… will you come with me?” Tohru stared at Natsuno with puppy dog eyes, Hands clasped in a pleading position.  
“sure…but why? You drive with her all the time.”  
“well…this is more like….a date.” Natsuno’s eyes widened, his jaw sagged a bit too.  
“isn’t she like 3 years older than you? That seems a bit weird.” Tohru advanced towards him with those same pleading eyes. Whispering please over and over again  
“..i guess-sure I’d be glad to help!....if people see those two together then that would be great…I’m tired of everyone thinking we are gay together…” Tohru tried to hug Natsuno tightly but caught a swift foot in the face. That didn’t bother him much because he kept trying to get close ”hey bud, cut out with the affection” 

 

Masao was on the way home, sniffling and crying, he jogged in an awkward way flinging his arms out much farther than they needed to go  
“jerks! Why did Tohru react that way?! Natsuno was acting like a total ass! What do people see about him? I'm the older one! I'm the kind one. Why don’t people bother with me? My family treats me like dirt, and Shimizu won’t give me the time of day….even Tohru likes Natsuno more than me!” Masao kept running home the path was dark at this late hour and there were onle a few lights in the village….moreover they didn’t work well, always flickering and burning out bulbs, sometimes the day they were installed. Masao looked over and saw a figure with blue hair cross the path in front of him. Its dark shadow projected sinisterly on the alleyways by his house. It almost seemed to dance in the flickering light.  
“great the door’s locked…family is always looking out for me huh?” Masao was laying on the sarcasm very thickly…. The shadow passed by again, this time catching the corner of Masao’s eye.   
“did that thing go in my house?....that gives me the creeps….i should check it out” Masao traipsed across his backyard, took a quick look around and went to his door. He grabbed the cold handle and gave it a tug.  
“at least this one is unlocked….huh?” a leaf rustled in the tree above masao’s head, he felt a sharp pain and tensed up. The color leaving his face, his body started to sag and relax..”gehhh I’m so cold. Why do I feel like a bee just stung me” Masao turned his head to see a man with blue hair that ended in two points “oh.. yeah he works at the mansion” masao said. He was completely entranced by the mans blackish red eyes, he didn’t even notice the set of ivory fangs set into his neck.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sunako struggles with her humanity, and natsuno is dragged to a funeral

“How many does this one make it….30, more even? As we move forward, that number should rise exponentially. I could never find the home I needed before but I am well on the way to making it here. I wish it didn’t have to be this way. However after so many long decades I’m forging my own desires…even if it is the misfortune of others….i know what we are doing is wrong, but…. I’ve stopped caring about the morality of my dream….or have I? ” Sunako removed her fangs from the woman underneath her. A thread of blood trailed down from the side of her lip. The woman started to drift back to sleep, but not before Sunako could say something.  
“be sure to let me in tomorrow, I wouldn’t want you to miss me.” She whispered gently into the woman’s ear. This marked the second night that the poor girl had fallen prey to Sunako, one more and her fate was sealed. Sunako dusted off her clothes and licked the trail of blood from her lips. She made way to the back corner of the house and gently slid open the glass door. She gave a fleeting glance at the victim she left unaware. A slight pang of sorrow passed through her but she shook it away. She was careful not to make a sound as she exited the home, sliding the door back into place and leaving nothing disturbed. A break-in of her caliber would make most cat burglars weep with jealousy.  
“I wonder if Mr. Muroi will sign my book today.” She started the long walk to the temple steps, stopping a few yards before the entrance. The closer she neared to its arched gateway, the deeper the fear inside her grew. As she attempted to inch closer a temple patron saw her.  
“can I help you young miss?”  
“I was looking for Mr. Muroi. Could you fetch him for me?” Sunako took a knee and curtsied with her dress. She put on a façade of innocence.  
“Seshin went up into a temple in the mountains a few hours ago, if you’re lucky he should still be there….but you should avoid those woods, they can be dangerous.”  
“You couldn’t even fathom just how much so…Oh, well thank you very much, I should be off then.”  
As Sunako walked through the forest many of her senses were stimulated. Nature was running wild at this time in the year so many birds were fluttering and cicadas were chirping. There was little vegetation In the thick parts of the woods, save for the fur trees. Moonlight would not even so much as penetrate their thick branches. The lack of light however was of no concern to Sunako, even in pitch darkness she and her kind could see for miles with perfect clarity.  
Finally she came upon the abandoned building in question. She walked up to the door but felt that horrible fear rise up again…. She barely managed to keep it in check. Were this a freshly maintained temple, she surely would have run into the woods screaming. With the same precision she used in her hunts she slid the old wooden door open. Even she could not keep such an ancient door from creaking however and was promptly noticed.  
Seshin’s eyes veered to the door. He was never used to people disturbing him in this remote place. Usually when they did, it was only because something important required his attention. He leaned over to the side and noticed a small girl in a dress holding the outside of the door frame.  
“Sunako? How did you find this place?” Seshin had a puzzled look on his face, only a select few people knew of this place, fewer still ever bothered to come here.  
“oh… someone at the temple told me you were here.” She put the tip of her finger on her chin and leaned into the door.  
“I see… what can I help you with? Her again? If I recall, many of the deceaseds’ families mentioned meeting her. Natsuno did too.”  
“something was ..off…about them, especially his daughter.” Natsuno’s voice echoed in his mind.  
“well…. I was hoping you could sign my book. I’m your biggest fan remember!” Sunako’s eyes widened and a big gaping smile crept across her face.  
“I…well I suppose that would be fine. It would be nice to have some company why don’t you come in and have a cup of tea.” Seshin gave her a warm look.  
Sunako pulled out a pen and Seshin took the dusty book from her.  
“this looks like a first edition print. You really are a fan huh….” Seshin blew the dust from the book and found a perfect spot to autograph. He signed his name elegantly in perfect kanji, and took a moment to admire his penmanship. While Seshin handled the book Sunako took a moment to walk around the temple.  
As she walked dust flew up with every step. The old wood left undisturbed for years. The amber light from Seshin’s candle made the place feel even more ominous, much to Sunako’s joy. Every few feed stained glass windows of all shapes and images surrounded the temple walls. They glittered like gold nuggets in the dim light.  
“this temple is quite beautiful, but these stained glass windows are kind of creepy…in the one to your left…is the man on fire?” Sunako pointed in the direction of a red window. In its picture a man hung from a sack with orange flames enveloping its frame.  
“that is called Mino Otori.” Seshin stared closely at the picture.  
“ah…I see. The man who built this place was fascinated by martyrs.” Sunako panned around the room and saw figures of every sort portrayed in the windows. Everything from Christ, to Gandhi, even one of martin Luther king Jr., was featured in the stained glass gallery. Martyrs and historic figures were in every scene.  
“I believe that this temple was built by someone from Kanemasa. He seemed to be fascinated by tragic history.”  
“Kanemasa?” Sunako was perfuddled.  
“yes…that iis what the land you live on is-was called. On a more serious note….you need to be careful, if I recall someone told me you had a medical condition that worsens in sunlight…don’t tell anyone but there is an unidentified disease going around the vullage..with an illness like that you might be especially susceptible.” Seshin grew very sad at that moment. He remembered how Toshio lashed out at him a few days ago.  
“You know about my condition?”  
“yes, a young man mentioned it to me on the night we first met.”  
“It must have been him… I appreciate your concern Mr. Muroi, but if I gave up the freedom that I do have just because of risk then why should I even bother living…why do I even bother living? I can’t give up my happiness just because of risk or because something gets in the way. You need to grab on to what you desire…even if it is at the cost of people around you.” A small tear dripped down Sunako’s cheek. Seshin was quick to wipe it away with his sleeve.  
“What’s wrong? You seemed so happy a moment ago.”  
“i-it’s nothing, don’t worry about me…..do you really have no idea what this disease is?...i certainly know…”  
“No..niether does my friend Dr. Toshio Ozaki…it bothers him when he sees so many people in pain, when he sees so many grieving families…. He feels powerless so he gets angry and lashes out at people…but they are not the ones that he is mad at….he’s a good man…it hurts me to see him like this…and it’s worse seeing so many families in pain…I hope we can find a solution to this too. I’m not sure how much more I can take,” Seshin rested his hands on his face and slumped down a little bit.  
“I’m sorry for Dr. Ozaki, and for you and the people of this village too…I truly am sorry, have I gone too far?” a few more tears started to stream down her pale cheeks. Again Seshin was there to dry them away.  
“Hey now, don’t be so worried about us. I promise you that you will be fine. I’ll do everything in my power to make you safe….to make everyone safe. You should head home Sunako…it is getting late.” And without saying another word to Seshin, Sunako walked away from the temple,. As she made her way into the foreboding mansion she was greeted by Tatsumi.  
“another successful night milady?” he flashed a big grin in her direction. She simply glanced away in a cold manner. ”are you ok? Is something up?” Tatsumi made a playful frown, and quivered his bottom lip.  
“…Tatsumi…have we gone too far with this plan? Is it really worth killing all of these people?” She continued to look away in a sorrowful state. Tatsumi looked at her with a scowl, the red in his eyes flashing.  
“You said yourself that you would put your own happiness above the feelings of others…are you going soft…don’t you dare ruin this for me…. Don’t shirk on your dreams right…?” he continued his scarily stern demeanor. A harsh contrast from the façade of playfulness he usually put on.  
“…yes…you’re right…I never really considered the happiness of others though…for so many years, I have only been focusing on myself and trying to survive. But the more I consider this…the more I detest the idea….and the way Seshin described it….i thought I was cold….but I just might truly be a monster after all… good night Tatsumi. I think I’ve been tired for the night.” Sunako walked away rubbing her hair. Her brain was racked from the events of the day.

 

“Natsuno are you dressed? Masao’s wake is in an hour.” Natsuno’s mother spoke loudly from across the hall.  
“I don’t think he would want me there…but yes.” Natsuno and Masao never really got along. Masao hated the ground Natsuno walked on and Natsuno never knew why. Natsuno always thought Masao was a bit creepy but never really bothered with him…but for some reason Masao still hated him.  
Once Natsuno arrived at the funeral home he saw some familiar faces…all dressed in black..however the mood was….off…. it didn’t feel like a wake. People were talking like normal, and no one seemed to be very grief stricken. There were even a few smiling faces in the crowd…the only person who even seemed remotely upset was Tohru. Natsuno walked over to him.  
“I can’t believe Masao died from this…disease. We never got along but…I never would have wished this for him.” Natsuno sighed and scratched his arm awkwardly.  
“I know you two never saw eye to eye…but it shows good character on your part that you came here.” Tohru flashed him a friendly grin.  
“it wasn’t really by choice…but while I'm here-“ Natsuno was cut off by a familiar voice again.  
“Natsuno, you’re here too? I thought you hated this guy!” Megumi came up from behind and wrapped her arm around him, then stuck her tongue out defiantly at Tohru. Natsuno backed off from her advances and paced a few steps from her.  
“Tohru, can I have a minute alone with her?” Natsuno felt really weird in that situation, he was well aware of Megumi’s hatred of Tohru, but it never seemed to bother Tohru much.  
“sure, hehe. I guess I can let you two lovebirds have your moment…this time.” Tohru dawned that big sly grin again…this time wider that it had ever been.  
“cut that out dude…” Natsuno flashed him an irritated look, befor walking Megumi to the other side of the room.  
“shimi-Megumi…I know we had a moment the other day…but I’m not sure how I feel about this romantic sort of thing….i’ve never been good at it, so can we take this a bit more slowly….i still don’t know how I feel about you. I just feel uncomfortable when you get really close like that.” Natsuno shivered.  
“I’m sorry, but I do know how I feel about you. I want to make sure you are mine, not…his….” Megumi hissed out that last part.  
“so that’s why you hate Tohru so much… you don’t need to be jealous or anything, I’m sorry I ignored you before, but there is no need for some kind of rivalry…that’s…almost cute, she gets jealous like a normal girl… and another thing, I don’t belong to anyone, I’m not just going to play some role like the people here like to dole out so much.” Natsuno flashed a stern look in Megumi’s direction. “come on…we should pay our…respects…to Masao…whatever modicum of respect I can muster for him.”

“Masao lay in the coffin in a dreamlike state; he could hear noises and voices outside of the wooden sides of his prison.  
“where am i….why am I in here…..that blue haired guy…what was he doing to me…..is that Megumi’s sweet voice….and Natsuno….he always has to take what I want….what I strive for……i…hate…you….even..now…..” Masao lost his train of thought as the blackness enveloped him once more. Death once again tried its grip on him as he sank into its icy abyss.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it seems that masao can be much more malicious with the right guidance

“well….we had better pay our respects…whatever modicum of respect I can pay…to Masao.” Natsuno sighed  
“I don’t really care… He was a total creep.” Megumi shot a bored look in the direction of Masao’s casket.   
Generally, caskets at a funeral are decorated with condolences or with pictures of fond memories of the deceased. This funeral was different… no one was grieving. No one seemed to even care. The only people in black were Tohru and Natsuno. The whole funeral seemed to be hastily put together. It seemed as though the very presence of Masao made everything inconvenient for everyone. Most people were drinking and talking as if there was a party going on. Despite a barren casket in a secluded corner of the room.  
“i can’t believe the nerve of these people…where is the respect for the dead?” Seshin scowled at the funeral patrons. He was about to say something when he noticed a purple blotch in the corner of his eye.  
“Seshin? They had you direct this funeral?” Natsuno came up from behind and greeted the Jr. monk  
“Natsuno? Yes. It seems that I am needed all of the time as of late. Being a monk in a crisis such as this is busy work. In fact…I am directing far more funerals than I would care to….and for someone so young to die. It breaks my heart…though I may be the only one who feels that way… did you come to pay respects?”  
“yeah….but I never really got along with Masao, he always seemed to bear some weird grudge against me, and I don’t know why.” Natsuno sighed and scratched his head.  
“you did show up today…and what’s more you seem to be one of the few who care. I think he would appreciate you for that, maybe he even forgives you from the afterlife” Seshin smiled warmly.  
“…i…can hear people talking again…can’t move….am…am I…dreaming?....Natsuno…Natsu-“ Masao faded in and out of focus, only in brief moments of lucidity could he produce a thought. He could scarcely think of something more complex than basic instinct at his high moments, and he was back in the grip of death in his lowest. The moments he was experiencing, however fleeting they may have been, were increasing in frequency. During the first few days of since his death, he may have only spiked a thought once or twice, he was on the tail end of day three and by now he was zooming in and out of reality on an hourly basis.  
“Masao…for whatever its worth….i’m sorry we didn’t get along….i wish I knew….you really made no sense.”   
Natsuno came from a strictly anti theist family. His parents frowned upon tradition and dogma. It was paramount to their very existence to seek change and to challenge authority. That was why his family moved to Sotoba in the first place. When it came to funerals and other ceremonies, Natsuno found himself at a loss for what to do. He did everything he could to keep his composure but he found it extremely difficult to maintain the façade at the funeral of someone he never cared about. That was when Seshin hit him with an unexpected question.  
“Natsuno, I know you had difficulty with this young man…but I am finding a shortage of volunteers to be pole bearers. This might be forward of me but could you spare a hand?...sorry about this Natsuno, I saw the way he acted towards you before….i know you didn’t deserve how he treated you.” Seshin took a deep breath as he waited for Natsuno’s reply.  
“i….i’ll do it if you truly need me…I can’t really say no to a request like that” Natsuno rubbed his temples. He made his way back to Tohru, Megumi following close behind.  
“thank you Natsuno, even if you don’t realize it yourself…you are truly a good person, you might have your scuffles here and there but. Please give the village a chance.” Seshin smiled warmly as Natsuno walked away.  
“what’s with the white look on your face Natsuno?” it was true. Natsuno turned a shade of ghostly pale once he realized the finality of his decision. Tohru started to jeer him more, poking and prodding his cheeks.  
“dude, seriously lay off…I’m stressed enough’ Natsuno smirked as he playfully tried to shake Tohru off. Megumi caught Tohru’s collar and separated him by force. Tohru stammered backwards and turned his attention towards Megumi.  
“What was that for, Shimizu? Party pooper.” Tohru said like a hurt child, rubbing the back of his neck.  
“sorry…my hand slipped….i meant to kill you. I’ll do it too, next time.” Megumi shot a triumphant sneer in Tohru’s direction. Tohru didn’t pay in any mind and continued to talk to Natsuno.  
“can’t those two ever get along… Even for one day?” Natsuno smiled at the two bickering, he couldn’t help but laugh at how childishly his friends acted  
“what were you so worried about anyway Natsuno? You know I hate to see you stressed like that.” Tohru smiled and laughed.  
“Seshin…asked me to be a pole bearer. I couldn’t refuse that sort of request… but you know how Masao felt about me.”  
“Oh, is that all. You had me worried for a second. Don’t worry Natsuno, I'm one too. If you want we can take positions across from eachother”  
“sure…that sounds like it would be for the best” Natsuno looked over to Masao’s coffin one last time before they started to move it along. Natsuno and Tohru got into position and hoisted the large brass rails over their shoulders. The day was hot and the journey to Masao’s gravesite was long. The coffin was heavy over their shoulders and Natsuno started to think deeply.  
“so. Masao is really gone? I can’t believe I just saw him the other day…this epidemic is starting to get serious.” Natsuno’s jaw dropped when the next thought hit him. He stopped for a second before the pace of the other people dragged him along.  
“didn’t that doctor say people had bite marks on them? What about what I saw in the mansion a few weeks ago? That girl…… ive never seen teeth like that! What if it really was them? No…. that was just an illusion right? Caused because of the stress I was under? Yeah…. It had to be. Definitely!” Natsuno’s hands started to tremble and sweat. He almost lost grip of the coffin above him.  
The group arrived at a secluded spot by the forest. Natsuno and the others started to lower the coffin into the dark hole in the earth. Leaves were falling everywhere, and the sun reflected brightly off of the polished wood in the coffin. The scenery was beautiful. The heat of the summer was dissipating and cooler days were moving in. if the ceremony had taken place on a hotter day than it would be doubtful if anyone would bother to show up for it at all. People still just talked like normal, and only a small select few even bothered to approach the casket and say their final words. Tohru was one such person.  
“Masao….i’m sorry for you. I truly am. I know people might not be very moved from your passing…considering the other deaths lately….but you were a dear friend to me, even if you disliked Natsuno. You didn’t deserve this. I hope you can finally find peace and happiness.” Tohru clasped his hands together while he said a quick prayer. A tear rolled down one of his cheeks but he brushed it away before anyone could notice  
“Tohru? Is that your voice?... I…I can’t hear very well….it’s…it’s like I’m in a cave. All I can see is blackness…don’t go….my only friend…don’t leave me here…please” Masao still couldn’t make sense of the world around him…his thoughts quietly begging and pleading for his only friend to come rescue him. Tohru turned focus to Megumi.  
“Megumi…I know you weren’t fond of him by any stretch…but it would mean a lot to him if you said something….anything…he talked about you all the time…so I think he might have liked you. I know you hate me too but…I’m asking on his behalf…it would mean the world to him, I think.” Tohru threw himself at Megumi’s mercy. He hoped she would do something…but in his mind she would just as soon dance on Masao’s grave than give him condolences.  
“i….guess…I can say something…I actually do feel kind of bad for Masao….i hope Yuuki would say something if this happened to me … don’t mistake this as weakness Tohru….i still hate you… I hope you won’t feel bad when I don’t give you any last words at your funeral.” She gave him that evil sneer again. Tohru was shocked that Megumi agreed to his request. He had never known her to have much human decency.  
“don’t worry Megumi, I won’t die for years, you will have plenty of time to hate me more….thanks….i really do appreciate this.” Tohru clasped his hands together and made a thank you motion in sign language as she walked away.

“Don’t get used to it…..” she looked back sternly at him before she made her way off. She reached the margin of the pit Masao’s casket lay in and started to say a few words  
“Masao….i don’t know how you felt about me…but… sorry this happened to you. Whatever…. Sorry….” She hastily said a prayer for him before darting back to Natsuno’s side.  
“shimizu? Her too? Please don’t go. I want to hear your sweet voice more…. I want you and Tohru to stay here…don’t go…please.”  
Seshin started the procedure and lowered the coffin, each patron putting in a shovel full of dirt, the ones closest to Masao putting in more. Finally the earth filled to the top of the whole, coffin underneath. Seshin said one last prayer before smoothing the dirt over and placing in his grave marker.  
“what?....what is that sound?....its almost…like rocks hitting the roof…I’m tired of this weird dream…I’m ready to wake up….maybe I can try to talk to shimizu this morning”   
as soon as the service had started it ended. Everyone packed up their things and just left. Leaving Masao’s lonely grave abandoned.

 

Several hours later  
Masao’s eyes snapped open, the trance that had held its grip could hold him no longer and he regained full awareness.  
“Where am i…ugh my head hurts….why is it so dark in here….wait…what does the top of that wood say?!” Masao looked to the top of the coffin door, the letters were depressed into its frame “Masao Murasako. Peaceful wishes”   
“why does it say that?! Why can’t I open the door!!! Let me out!!!! Let me out!!!! LET ME OUT!!!!” Masao started to panic, he clawed and punched at the coffin ceiling, wood splinters falling on his face. He kept struggling. Every few seconds another arm would thrust out and batter the ceiling. He even head-butted it. All to no effect.  
“no! this is a mistake! Please let someone get me. don’t leave me in he-“ Masao stopped his silent pleading when he heard digging coming from just above him. He tried clawing and punching at the wood ceiling more. After a few minutes Masao’s punch smashed through the coffin ceiling exposing the night sky just above him.  
“whoa there feisty! Settle down, you are gonna be ok so don’t worry” Tatsumi lifted the lid to the coffin and gave one of his classic smiles to Masao laying just inside of it.  
“blaugharghregh aughuagh!” Masao couldn’t form words in his throat. The only thing he could manage wre a few squeaks and hoarse groans.  
“easy now. Just speak and ignore your lack of breathing” Tatsumi made a gesturing motion to his own throat.  
“I *cough* what is going on?” Masao could barely get a grip on his voice every word coming out gargled and strained  
“you died Masao….yes this is in fact your grave.” Tatsumi pointed to the wooden grave marker just above Masao’s head.  
‘i…dead?’ how am I alive?” he asked in the same hoarse voice  
“you’re not human anymore I can tell you that much…” Tatsumi pointed to the fangs in Masao’s mouth  
“I’m not?”  
“no…now you’re something different…you won’t age or die from illness anymore….but you are far from indestructible…sunlight will burn you where you stand, and you will die if someone shoves a stake into your heart…or if they cut your head off….but look on the bright side! Who would ever do that! Haha”  
“i…’ Masao raped his tounge around the fangs in his mouth, they were just behind his two front canine teeth, he practiced drawing them out drawing them in. they seemed to be retractable, like cats claws, when not wanted they rested in a space just inside of his gum line. Memories suddenly flooded back to Masao, he remembered the nights when he was ill. The same person in front of him featured in each memory.  
“there is one last thing…..you need proper nutrition…the only food source we know of that can give us sustenance is human blood….for the record…yours tasted like shit.” Tatsumi said that in a serious tone. But he had a look of pure joy on his face.  
“you….you’re the one who killed me!” Masao backed away from Tatsumi afraid for his life.  
“yep. Sure did….but don’t get mad or anything…think about it. I didn’t kill you, quite the opposite. Because of me you are now immortal! This is a great boon Masao! Not everyone gets to come back. Come with me. You need to learn how to hunt.”  
“so I really am a vampire after all….hunting what?”  
“I think you know the answer to that question”

 

The two vampires snuck around the back of Masao’s house and climbed to the top window.  
“why are we at my house?” Masao asked with a grudged look on his face.  
“most people want to turn their family? Don’t you want them to live in eternity with you?” Tatsumi looked at him with faux earnesty.  
“my family never cared about me…I’d sooner see them dead….” Masao scowled in the direction of the house.  
“well, sorry to hear that….but that just might make it easier for you to feed on them, remember… you have the right to kill whoever you want, without any repercussions to boot! You should start off easy, since this is your first feeding…. This window is outside of your nephew’s room right? A small child like that should make easy pickings. Now, you can’t just waltz in to a new building. You need to get permission from someone inside…. But people in this village are suckers with no common sense….just tap on that window until he opens it.”  
“okay….” Masao started to gently tap on the side of the window, careful to make sure his shadow was out of view.  
*yawn*”what… what is that?” the boy woke up groggily from his bed and picked up his teddy bear, holding it by one limb. He gently rubbed his eye and made his way to the window. He gave it the once over and opened it to look outside. Masao leaned in and grabbed his arm. Just as the boy was about to scream Masao pressed his other hand around his mouth. He opened wide revealing those sharp ivory fangs and plunged them into the boy’s neck. The child kept struggling and squirming but Masao held on tightly, his unnatural strength easily overpowering him.  
“Hiromi! Dad always loved you more than me! You always got all of the attention… no one ever paid me any mind…and it was all your fault you and that bitch mother of yours… what did my brother ever see in her!” Masao kept remembering all of the times his family fawned over his adorable nephew, and with each memory Masao bit him harder and harder, blood was pouring into his mouth, and he could barely swallow fast enough. It tasted delicious. Masao kept biting, every memory bothering him. The boy’s eyes bulged and tears rolled down his cheeks, Masao could hear the gurgled sobs echoing out of his mouth.  
“cry! Just like you always do! No one is going to help you this time, mommy won’t save the day” that memory sent Masao over the edge, he crunched down on the boys neck with even more fervor than before…*snap.. Crackle* Masao dropped the boy at that sound.  
“you bit him to hard Masao….you need to be easier on your victims….his neck snapped like a chicken.” Tatsumi couldn't help but laugh at Masao’s mistake, looking over at the limp body on the floor. The boy’s eyes were bloodshot, and a trail of drool hung out the left side of his mouth. Masao started to laugh too.  
“well…he won’t rise….you need to drain the blood completely. Since you only took enough from one feeding. Look… lets head back to Kanemasa for now… we can try this again tomorrow” Masao took one last look at the crumpled body he left on the floor, he smeared some of the child’s blood on the window seal, to make the death look like an accident. He laughed again.  
“Serves you right. Worthless brat.” Masao could barely contain his laughter as Tatsumi led him inside of the mansion walls.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> natsuno opens up to the doctor about the vampire problem...but masao has his own plans

“That was the weirdest funeral I’ve ever been to, did people dislike Masao that much? Yesterday was messed up for sure….” Natsuno sighed. He was sitting by the desk in his room, face buried in his arms. It was getting late, the sun hung low in the air and orange rays of light pierced through the thick forest outside of his window. Natsuno reached for the container of medicine the doctor had prescribed him a few days ago.  
“i can’t believe this medicine works. Dr. Ozaki, you really gave me the good stuff didn’t you.” Natsuno capped the top of the container and poured out the serving of medicine for that night. A thick brown paste snaked into a shiny spoon Natsuno was holding. He winced and downed the syrup in one dreadful gulp. *cough* “how can something that tastes so awful make me sleep…” Natsuno grabbed a glass of water and slurped it around. It was only barely effective at drowning out the horrid taste the medicine left in his mouth.  
Natsuno made his way to the bed, his step stammered and he had to grab a post so because he had trouble standing ”this stuff works fast. uughh” and with that thought Natsuno passed out. His clothes were still on and half of his body was draped off the side of his bed when he fell asleep.  
A few hours later  
A cool breeze penetrated Natsuno’s room. The night air hung stalely above him and darkness surrounded his room at all sides. The leaves could be heard rustling faintly in the wind outside and frog croaks could be heard just beyond the tree line, courtesy of a small stream that ran parallel to Natsuno’s home. Suddenly there was a tapping noise coming from the corner of his window.  
*taptaptap*  
“ugh…what is that sound?” Natsuno slowly woke from his medicated slumber, still sore from the awkward position he had fallen in. he wiped a string of drool from his mouth and focused his attention on the sound coming from his window.  
*taptaptaptaptap*  
“what the hell?” Natsuno squinted his eyes; he could barely make out the faint outline of a shadow just beyond the blinds.  
*taptaptaptaptaptap*  
Natsuno grabbed a wall and staggered over to the source of the noise  
*TAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAP!!!!!*  
“GAH!” Natsuno fell to the floor when the loud banging started. “this is gonna wake up my parents! What is this noise!” natsuno froze. He law a bright red pair of eyes locked into the shadow. They were so intense he could even see them from behind window curtains. They lit the entire room up with a sour red glow. Natsuno was dumbstruck, completely shocked out of the effect of the medicine. He simply sat in a corner sweating with fear. Had the phantom that had been haunting him so many nights before finally come to take action? He sat adjacent to the window eyes agape, and whimpering, beads of sweat rolled down his face. The only thing that could provide a modicum of self-defense in his reach was a dull woodcarving knife sitting under his bedpost; a memento from when his father tried to get him to participate in art lessons. Natsuno darted for it. He went back to his position and clutched the knife tightly. So tightly in fact that he cut himself on the ridge where it folded. When a drop of blood hit the floor, the banging started to become even more intense. Almost animalistic even. But just as suddenly as the noise began…it stopped. Natsuno thought he heard a grunt come from outside of the window. He looked over and noticed a second pair of eyes flash just for an instant. Then the original pair turned direction and slowly faded from view. After a few moments Natsuno mustered up what courage he could and pulled the blinds. All he could make out were the bushes and trees just beyond his room…and two faint red dots far beyond them.   
Natsuno didn’t sleep for the rest of the night. He just sat in that sme spot staring at the forest beyond his window.  
The next day  
“so this medicine does cause hallucinations?”  
“It can. But generally that happens only if you overdose.”  
“Maybe that was what happened…Thank you Dr. Ozaki.”  
“It’s no problem at all, just be more careful. And be sure to let me know if you start feeling fatigued or have a loss of appetite…or if you get any weird bug bites. Er….nevermind.”  
“you asked me about that when I stopped in here a few days ago…is something going on?” Natsuno started to worry a little bit.  
“Natsuno….are you superstitious? Or prone to believe conspiracy?” Ozaki put his hand on Natsuno’s shoulder.  
“I think we both know the answer to that question doctor….the only weird things I believe in are these nightmares I have been having.” Natsuno remembered all of the lectures his father gave him on crowd mentality and mass hysteria. He also remembered all of the scorn his parents placed onto superstition.  
“I’m only telling you this so you will be safe…and because you seem like someone who won’t blow it out of proportion… I think there is an epidemic going around the village….and it all started when the mansion owners moved in a few weeks ago…all of the recent deaths…bar one…..they were because of it….when I asked the mansion doctor about it all he said was…Don’t worry about it, I think this is just a weird fluke, its not even worth investigating…what kind of medical professional wouldn’t acknowledge that kind of thing?” Ozaki took a long puff on the cigarette he was smoking. The smell of tobacco intermixed with the smell of rubbing alcohol in the clinic room. Natsuno flinched when the horrid smell hit his nose. That was almost as bad as the medicine the doctor gave him.  
“I wouldn’t know what medical professionals do. That isn’t really my line of interest…but if you say its weird…do you remember what I said about the family that lived in the mansion? Maybe they’re the cause” Natsuno said that in jest. But it seemed to resonate with the doctor….he stared at Natsuno with astonished eyes. And his mouth was drooped open.  
“she said she met the mansion owners daughter”  
“met his daughter”  
“They had bug bites…and they said they met his daughter and wife.”  
A million thoughts raced through Ozaki’s mind all at once. Every last one of the patients he had treated had mentioned meeting someone connected to that land, be it the mother the daughter the husband, hell, some people even mentioned the blue haired butler. “…That family….i thought I saw fangs in her mouth….some kind of illness that makes them unhealthy in sunlight…Natsuno….every last person who had met that family is either sick or dead....but…you seem fine, bar being a bit shaken up…..This isn’t an epidemic!....i want you to call me every day! Let me know how your condition is doing! Report anything strange to me immediately! I don’t care if it happens to you or someone else, if you know about it I want to know about it! Do you understand, this is crucial! You might have a serious condition! Any of what you think are hallucinations you need to report to me as soon as you can…this is a one in a million shot…but…what if there really are monsters… or something like them… invading our town…  
“i..this is a lot to take in….a serious condition? Is that the best lie you could come up with?!….i know what I saw dr. Ozaki… there is more to this “epidemic “ than meets the eye…isn’t there…” Natsuno looked at the doctor with a stern glare.  
“I knew I had you pegged for a smart kid…..look just be careful... I don’t know any more than what you’ve gleaned from my information, so don’t take this too seriously… just let me know if you see anything weird alright? I’m gonna look into this more…and this little chat we had never happened, got it?” Dr. Ozaki smiled and gave Natsuno a pat on the shoulder.  
“yeah..i guess I can let you know if anything I see isn’t on the level…did you need anything else…or am I free to go?” Natsuno scratched his head.  
“you’re good. Just see the nurse on the way out. She needs to file your visit.” Ozaki smiled and turned to fill out some paperwork”I really do need to talk to Seshin again…he has more experience with this sort of thing than I do.”

“ah Natsuno! I hope you’re ok. You’ve been here a lot lately.” Ritsuko smiled as she handed Natsuno a clipboard.  
“ive been better, hey has Tohru talked to you lately…I wonder if he grew a pair and asked her out without my help…..he said he wanted totalk to you about something.” Natsuno broke eye contact and scratched his arms.  
“I’ve seen him a bit lately, but we haven’t done anything more than friendly chit chat.” She looked at Natsuno curiously.  
“you disappoint me Tohru….he likes to procrastinate I guess…I’ll drag him here later so he can tell you what he needs, you know if I don’t make him do it, it won’t get done.” Natsuno smiled back at her.  
“yeah, that’s Tohru for you…well that’s everything I need, you’re free to go.”  
“thanks.”

a few hours later.  
A bright light glowed in the far corner of the room. A tall figure sat in its path, the light’s shadow projecting his outline across the room. Electronic sounds traveled around the room, as well as the repetitive clicks from pushing buttons.  
“so Natsuno, I heard you went to the clinic again today.” Tohru’s eyes were deadlocked onto the television screen in front of him, he didn’t even notice when Natsuno started to respond back.  
“yeah….after I was up all night last night….and when I cut my hand…dad insisted.” Natsuno held up his left hand, there was a swirl of bandage cloth wrapped around the palm, and a strip lacing the joint in the thumb” I’ve never been so afraid like that Tohru….all I had was that little wood knife, I was so scared I didn’t even notice how hard I was holding it...thanks again for letting me stay tonight, I need a change of scenery for a while.” Natsuno sighed and threw himself backwards on the bed.  
“. Don’t worry Natsuno, I’ve always got your back, don’t forget thatoh hey…by the way” Tohru’s classic smile peaked through “did you see Ritsuko there?” Natsuno could see the hearts in his eyes bulge.  
“say no more Tohru, I put in a good word for you. I’m gonna have to drag you there before you get the sack to ask her out….aren’t i.” he gave Tohru’s shoulder a hard squeeze.  
“i…I really want this to work out, people say I’m a nice guy…but I’ve always wanted someone i really love….i’ve seen the way Megumi looks at you….i want that…I want that so desperately. You kind of take if for granted, but…I’m not like you, the new exciting guy from the big city…I’m just Tohru…plain uninteresting Tohru.” Tohru looked away, saddened by that last thought. Natsuno could see him holding back a tear.  
“Tohru, no one thinks of you like that! Not me at least. I know I’m not the easiest guy to get along with, but you still made a friend out of me even when I was trying to push people away, I think there is something pure about that…and I’ve seen the way that nurse looks at you. Haven’t you ever noticed that when you are with her, that she is always smiling? She likes you Tohru, I know she does, dude….” Natsuno took a commanding tone at in that moment.  
“yeah..but i…” Tohru tuned away from Natsuno and meekly put his hand on his cheek.  
“enough buts! You and I are going to the clinic tomorrow and you are gonna tell her how you feel!” Natsuno stood tall, a fiery aura of bravado engulfed him for a brief moment.  
“yeah! Yeah! Ok! Definitely!...thanks for being there for me.” Tohru took a moment to bask in Natsuno’s presence. “oh hey….we’re out of soda. I had better go get more”.  
“that was random….though now that you mention it…my throat is a little dry from that speech…here’s a few coins, get me one too.” Natsuno fiddled around in his pocket and from it produced several gleaming silver coins. He cupped Tohru’s hand and placed them in it. Tohru stood up and started to walk away.  
“man…its dark out, better be careful. Why did they put this vending machine all the way out here?” the vending machine stood in a dark corner far across the street from Tohru’s home. It glowed red under the light of a flickering street lamp. The air that night was fresh and crisp. Tohru stood at the foot of the machine for a moment and took in a deep breath.” Man I love fresh air”.  
“oh I agree! The air in this village smells far better than the city”. Tatsumi stood behind Tohru, he smiled in an innocent fashion and laid an arm on the machine.  
“huh!” Tohru was taken by surprise, he backstepped and ended up dropping a coin. It bounced twice before finally rolling under the machine.  
“you scared me for a second there…oh damn. Dropped one.” Tohru smiled at him for a mment before bending over to get the coin.  
“here got it, ack!” Tohru felt two painful stings in his neck. A cold hand grabbed his shoulder and held him tightly. he looked behind him and his jaw dropped in surprise. He tried to struggle but it was of no use, the fangs just embedded themselves even deeper with every twitch.  
“alright, remember Masao….bite softly, you don’t want to hurt them any more than necessary…or maybe you do…but that wouldn’t behoove us.” Masao finished his feeding and Tohru slumped to the ground in a daze, two thin trickles of blood dripped from his neck.  
“I would never hurt Tohru!....more than we need to. I want him to rise up, he is my friend, I want us to hunt together! I want to conquer the night with him.” Masao wiped the blood from his lips, and gave Tatsumi an indignant look. Tatsumi just shot him a bored stare in response.  
“look. I didn’t ask for your life story, just listen to what I tell you alright….we don’t want you screwing this up like you did on your poor little nephew….or like when you didn’t even get to feed on that yuuki kid yesterday, you nearly woke the whole neighborhood with that banging…you need to up your game, because right now your track record is terrible.” Tatsumi grew a sly grin at the mention of that last sentence.  
“the little brad had it coming….i just wish he would have suffered longer…..and I’m gonna kill Natsuno if it is the last thing I do….nut I’m not gonna let him rise, I promise you that right now Tatsumi.” Masao glared in the other direction.  
“whatever….you better tell this guy what to do before your poison wears off.” Tatsumi crossed his arms and looked sternly at Masao, flashing the red in his eyes  
“yeah, sorry….tohru?” Tohru looked slowly in his directon  
“ugh?” Tohru could barely manage a grunt.  
“I want you to forget you saw us today…also please keep your door unlocked, I want to see you tomorrow…ok?” Masao locked eyes with Tohru and said that in a seductive tone.  
“yeshhh…sure….” Tohru’s eyes grew heavy, he could barely stay away while Masao started to issue commands.  
“good.. I know this hurts now, but I promise it’s for your own good.” Masao smiled as the thought of the two strolling through the village, feeding on its helpless patrons and leaving a bloody trail in their wake.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ozaki and seshin continue to delve into sotoba's vampire problem, natsuno approaches a disoriented tohru

“erratic heartbeat, anemia…spiraling into multiple organ failure….bug bites…..and that family….” Ozaki sat in the small patio on the south side of the clinic, just in view of its large bay window. He was sprawled out over the large wooden seat; daydreaming. Every once in a while he would let out a small puff of smoke from the cigarette he had. He coughed a few times. Ever since the village trouble began, Ozaki had been smoking more and more, sometimes up to 3 packs a day, he’d started drinking too, not in volume like with the tobacco, but it noticeably affected his demeanor. You could smell sake on his breath some days. “I hope I didn’t scare that poor yuuki kid….but he seemed like a good guy, if there really are monsters or vampires…or whatever…maybe that little bit of suspicion might save his life….if I am right…then they seem to be after him for some reason.”   
Ozaki continued to sit back. He even started to fall asleep. It was a nice sunny day, and the warmth of the air made him feel tired. “Wonder when Seshin…will get…*snore*” Ozaki snapped awake when he heard the sound of an engine running nearby. He slumped out of his chair and started to stagger towards the clinic entrance. He put leaned on a wall and walked slowly towards the bothersome noise. As Ozaki came neared the source of the noise, he had to shield his eyes from the glare reflecting from Seshin’s mini bike.  
Seshin saw Ozaki across the lawn and waved.  
“hello Toshio! How can I help you today? You called me here, what did you need.”  
Ozaki rubbed his temples. He still had a slight hangover from the night before. Every word Seshin spoke pounded in his head. As he spoke the words started to echo.  
“ugh…not so loud…sit down Seshin, we need to talk…I’m sorry about the other day  
The two made their way back to the patio, Ozaki taking the space in the shade this time. Seshin decided to remain standing; he walked over to Ozaki’s position and stared down at him.  
“I’ve got some things I need to tell you as well, and forget about the other day, I know how you feel right now.”  
“you couldn’t possibly imagine….you first then….what’s on your mind.”  
“the village chief of records; Ishida, has gone missing, so have all of the death certificates you have written up….we have no official proof that this is an epidemic. We can’t request aid like this…I’m not looking forward to hearing him blow up this time….”  
“him too huh?...don’t worry about it Seshin” Seshin nearly spit his tea out when he heard that. “I’ve been investigating…and….this isn’t an epidemic.” Seshin’s jaw dropped.  
“What? Then what is it?”  
“well….at first I didn’t want believe it…but when you study all of the factors, the bug bites, the anemia, mass organ failure….i was so set on the idea of an epidemic that I didn’t even consider the possibility of hemorrhagic shock.”  
“but you said there were no signs of internal bleeding…how could that be possible?” Seshin listened curiously at what Ozaki was saying.  
“Seshin… i think there are okiagari..or vampires. Or something…and they have set their sights on the village; remember when you wrote that essay about how this village is surrounded by death? I know it was just symbolism but I think there is something real happening, something dangerous.” Seshin was floored when he heard the term vampire. The look of utter scorn on his face gave Ozaki chills. He almost lost balance from the shock and had to sit down. As he sat, he draped his hand over his face and it pulled down his eye sockets a little. Seshin, begrudgingly, continued to listen to what the doctor had to say..  
“…you can’t be serious…you do realize that you are a medical doctor right? You seriously think there are vampires attacking the village….ok then, I'm leaving now.” Seshin was about to walk away when Ozaki grabbed his shoulder.  
“I didn’t believe it at first either but look at the facts. And you told me yourself that the little girl there had a medical condition that prevented her from going into sunlight! I know it seems impossible, it literally is! But when you factor in the possibility, what has been happening makes absolute perfect sense!” Ozaki started panting. Seshin seemed exasperated as well.  
“even if it does make sense….there is still no way, that sort of thing only happens in movies or anime.”  
“look….im not asking you to change up your daily routine, or help me hunt them down…yet… but I just want you to think about it. Keep an open mind about the possibility, you have done way more research into this occult sort of thing than I have, you and I both know it is a plausible explanation. Just have faith in me alright. I’m gonna go on with the assumption that vampires exist, and I’m going to change my clinic practices to reflect it…there is still something I want to try.” Ozaki stared at Seshin with pleading eyes, Seshin could only look back in pity.  
“alright, I’ll keep an open mind about it...good luck...by the way…how many other people have you told about this theory you have?”  
“only one other person, but I didn’t go into detail or anything, he just sort of picked up on it.” Ozaki stared in the other direction innocently.

“who did you tell?...you really are in deep…aren’t you.” Seshin looked sternly at dr. Ozaki.  
“it was Natsuno yuuki, he was the only person I have talked to that had seen the family on the hill and is still alive. He also said that he saw the little girl, and said she had fangs. That’s why I told him… you don’t think he would take it the wrong way do you?”  
“no, from what I’ve seen of him, he seems to be a fine upstanding young man. There is no way that he would reveal your secret….he actually told me himself that he thought that the people at kanemasa were strange….maybe your idea has merit after all.”

 

“man…I wonder what’s taking Tohru so long. The vending machine is across the street right?...i guess I should check on him.” Natsuno yawned. He stretched his arms out as he stood up, and he clicked his lips. He started to walk out of the room and nearly tripped on his way down the stairs.  
“I forgot to tell him what I want…”  
“watcha up too natsu?” a girl with short black hair caught Natsuno on his way out of the door.  
“Aoi?...oh I was just going to check on Tohru, he went out to get a drink like ten minutes ago and didn’t come back. I was just going to see whats up.” Natsuno looked back as he gripped the door frame.  
“I see, hey will you help me with my homework after you and Tohru are done with your romantic stuff?”  
“why do people always think we’re gay?!!!!...sorry, I guess I could spare a hand later.” Natsuno was exasperated when he heard her make that joke, and with that he ran out of the door.  
Natsuno surveyed the area trying to find the machine Tohru went to. There were several in the area, most sprawled out in front the street he was walking. Natsuno shivered when a stiff breeze rolled by. It was hard to see in such low light, most of the streetlights were burnt out, the only light visible was the scattered glow of window light coming from the houses nearby. As Natsuno walked, he started to grow nervous. He slipped one hand in his pocket and palmed the knife in it. The cool feel of the metal reassured his safety to a small degree. He had only just started to carry it with him, after the doctor mentioned his theory, Natsuno thought it might be a good idea. He pulled out the blade and flicked it open, the spine reflected a ray of light from a streetlamp nearby, however the blade itself had tarnished, and the edge was barely visible against the night sky.  
“Hey Tohru!, tooooohruuuuuu?!! Where did you go?” Natsuno called his name as he walked the street, he passed a few isolated villagers who looked at him curiously but continued walking their own way. “there he is.” Tohru stood in front of the machine, his tall frame blocking its faint blue light. He remained ominously still even though he heard Natsuno’s footsteps.  
“hey Tohru, where have you been? You’ve been gone for ages. Is it really this hard to decide on a drink?” Natsuno walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Tohru remained still, he just stared blankly at the neon light fixture on the machine, a drop of drool hung from the corner of the machine. He started to mumble.  
“Masao wants to see me…I can’t let him down…he wants to see me tomorrow. Masao wants to see me tomorrow. I can’t let him down.” Natsuno looked at him for a moment and started trying to talk to him again.  
“hey Tohru, Tohru? Talk to me.” It was to no effect. Tohru simply kept repeating those lines, like a mantra or a prayer.  
“Tohru, Masao died a week ago, remember.”  
“no, Masao said he wants to see me tomorrow Natsuno, I can’t disappoint him. He wants to see me tomorrow.” Tohru didn’t even turn around to face Natsuno; he just kept repeating those same lines. Natsuno turned Tohru around and gave him a shake.  
“Tohru, Masao died. Ok, I know it tore you up but you need to get a grip!” Natsuno was panting.  
“but Natsuno, Masao said he wants to see me tomorrow, I can’t disappoint him.” Tohru continued to stare in Natsuno’s direction with those same empty eyes.  
“Masao IS DEAD! Tohru, GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF!” with that Natsuno slapped Tohru on the left cheek, he could feel a drop of spit hit his hand, and it left a red mark on Tohru’s face.  
“…hey Natsuno? When did you get here? I was just about to get the dirks.” The life returned to Tohru’s eyes and that smile crept across his face…”ow, why does my face hurt?”  
“Tohru? You’ve been out here for over an hour now....hey you’re bleeding….sorry, didn’t mean to hit you that hard.” Natsuno looked on his hand and noticed a small drop of blood staining the back. He looked over Tohru’s face but there was none to be found.  
“what are you talking about dude? I just left like five minutes ago to get the drinks, and what do you mean you hit me?...this is a weird joke.” Tohru laughed playfully at Natsuno and turned to the machine, purchasing the drinks. “here, your favorite…I bet you just wanted to make sure I got the right one huh? Well don’t worry. I know you better than you do.” Tohru smiled again.  
Natsuno was shocked when he heard Tohru say those things. He decided to give Tohru the once over and looked around his person.  
“Tohru, I’m dead serious, you have been gone for like an hour. And you look a little pale…you kept talking about Masao, how he wants to see you tomorrow.” Natsuno continued to look over Tohru when he saw two small trickles of blood dripping on the left side of his neck. “…I didn’t cause that? Did I?”  
“hey, you know Masao was my friend, don’t joke about that.” Tohru looked at Natsuno sternly.  
“Tohru, how did you get that cut on your neck…he doesn’t remember this? Ozaki might be right about whatever is going on.” Natsuno was terrified at this point, but he didn’t want to aggravate his friend, Tohru didn’t seem like himself tonight so Natsuno found it best to take him back home.  
“I didn’t even notice this, huh? Maybe a vampire bit me,” Tohru playfully taunted Natsuno. But that only seemed to upset him even more.  
“you probably just scratched your neck too hard or something,” Natsuno smiled tentatively, he didn’t want to explore the possibility of what had happened any more than he had already.  
“Natsuno…I feel tired…like really tired…. Let’s get back home, if I’m out longer then you might start to worry again.” Tohru continued to poke fun at Natsuno’s expense the whole walk home.  
“what the hell happened to you Tohru?...this is far too much right now…hey Tohru?” Natsuno looked at Tohru, concerned for his safety.  
“yeah, whats up ole buddy o’ mine?” Tohru kept up that playful mood.  
“I think you should go to the clinic, you really were gone longer than you thought, and you look pale. Please, just…if you feel like this tomorrow, please promise that you will stop by.” Natsuno put a hand on his shoulder.  
“look I’m fine Natsuno. I appreciate you worrying about me but I’m going to be ok.” Tohru picked up a video game controller and turned on the console. He started to get into the game he was playing.  
“..ok…but if you really are sick, and you get worse, I’m going to drag you there against your will.”  
“hey, maybe ritsuko will give me sympathy points!”  
“yeah Tohru…..maybe so. Ozaki… I really hope your theory is wrong… but I can’t protect my friends on my own…”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> natsuno fills the doctor in about tohru's erratic behavior....and he tells megumi about the vampire problem

Natsuno paced back and forth, his mind rattled. He was utterly bewildered by last night’s events. “Tohru…he...why did he keep saying that…he looked pale….” The conversation Dr. Ozaki had with him the other day flashed through his mind.  
“I want you to let me know if you notice anything unusual, to you or anyone else. If It’s not on the level then tell me about it. I think there is more at work here than an epidemic”  
Natsuno lay on the side of his bed, legs draped across the frame. He put his hands on his face and took a deep breath. Fractal patterns of light projected on his wall, compliments of the pine forest just beyond his window. Those trees never let much light into his room. The whole house had an ominous natural lighting.  
“should I tell him? Ozaki... if Tohru really is sick, then I guess I would have to. I’d hope he would do the same for me…” Natsuno wearily made his way off of the bed. He had lay there for a long while and his whole body started to fall asleep. He had to support his weight on the bedpost until the vertigo wore off. He stammered into the hall and picked up the phone. It was hot to the touch because it was sitting in an isolated pocket of light. He picked up the receiver and slowly crunched in the number to the clinic. It made a few brief rings followed by a moment or two of music, until finally a feminine voice answered.  
“hello? Ozaki clinic, how can we help you today.”  
“yes, I needed to speak with the doctor, is he here?”   
“he is…but he’s terribly busy, is this an emergency?” the woman sounded impatient.  
“my name is Natsuno yuuki. The doctor might have said that I was planning to call…and well, there is something I need to talk to him about….”  
“if it’s a medical question I should be able to assist you. You really shouldn’t bother the doctor unless-“ Natsuno cut her off.  
“I need to speak to Dr. Ozaki. This is really important!” Natsuno started to become irritated, he nearly yelled at the woman over the phone.  
“alright, alright. No need to be so pushy, if the doctor gets angry at you over something trivial then you can deal with him, it’s not gonna be my problem” she spoke to him indignantly. Natsuno could hear footsteps over the phone and then there was a moment’s pause. Finally a gruff voice started to speak  
“hello? Ozaki speaking….” The doctor sounded exhausted.  
“its yuuki…..do you remember our talk the other day?” Natsuno started to rub his temples.  
“Natsuno?! Did something happen!” The doctor grew excited when he realized it was Natsuno speaking to him.  
“well….tohru..he….” Natsuno curled the wire around his finger  
Tohru…Tohru Mutuoh? The directors son? What of him?” the sound of a lighter clicking was easily audible over the phone speaker.  
“that’s what I'm trying to tell you…..he was acting really strange yesterday and I noticed some…unusual… things.” Natsuno took a deep breath.  
“strange how and what things? Take it from the top.” Natsuno started to recant the previous night’s events, from Tohru leaving to go the vending machine, to Natsuno finding him in a trance spouting gibberish, to the blood on his neck.  
The receiver was silent for a moment. Though to Natsuno, it felt like an hour.  
“that’s…quite an experience…..this was just the sort of thing I expected though…my god…so it really seems to be vampires….natsuno….thank you for telling me about this.”  
Natsuno was growing scared “So, what are you going to do with that information…Tohru will be okay right?”  
“… I doubt it….don’t worry Natsuno, I know what to do…just let me handle it okay….but…there are a couple of things you should do for me….first, I want you to tell your loved ones and friends close to you to be cautious, tell them whatever lie they will fall for, but be smart about it…I don’t want you spilling our little secret if you don’t absolutely have to.”  
Natsuno’s heart began beating out of his chest…he could barely continue to speak…”I’ll try….so this is really happening……what was the other thing you wanted me to do.”  
Ozaki solemnly spoke “stop taking the medicine I gave you……not only are you not hallucinating….but dulling your senses is not a wise decision…especially if you get caught up in a dangerous situation…this is probably going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. I want you to be as alert as you can be.”  
Natsuno could barely stand…he nearly threw up when he realized his fears were validated. sweat was beading up on his forehead and it stung his eyes. His mind started racing, he couldn’t think of anything beyond tohru…”you still didn’t tell me what you were going to do about Tohru…what’s gonna happen to him?!”  
“I still need concrete proof about this…so when his family calls in sick I’ll have him stay overnight in the clinic…”  
“you can’t seriously be thinking of using Tohru as bait?!” Natsuno gritted his teeth. He clenched a fist so hard that the knuckles started to crack.. Natsuno was utterly stunned at what the doctor suggested.  
“I’m not planning on using him as bait. I just want to see if the forces that be decide to go after him there. Besides, it guarantees his safety for a night. If we do find out what…or who…is causing all of this then we can start to save lives as well. So just play along with it.”  
“just be sure to call me when you take him in, I’ll be damned if I put him in harm’s way and do nothing to prevent it….i’ll stay with him overnight.”  
“Aren’t you terrified by these things Natsuno? I doubt you would be able to deal with them if you saw one.” The doctor started to joke around. He hoped to ease the tension but Natsuno took it in a different way.  
“I’m far more terrified of what would happen to him without me…I can’t stand the thought of doing nothing while my friend gets hurt.” Natsuno slammed his hand on the wall  
“that’s what I like to hear, don’t worry. We’ll sort this out. Trust me.” With that Dr. Ozaki hung up the phone, leaving a shocked Natsuno speechless on the other side.  
Natsuno slumped down, he had to take a moment to absorb the information he was just given. He sighed and began to dial in a new number.  
“warn my friends…..i guess I should tell Megumi….but what will I say to her? Hey Megumi, be careful because vampires are invading the village……she’d think I'm insane…I don’t think this is something I can just explain over the phone…she was with me that day at the mansion…so…maybe they have their sights on her too…..it might be best if she knows” Natsuno gulped…..he almost couldn’t bear the thought of explaining this to someone…especially Megumi, their relationship was complicated at best…..but this would certainly bring a new spin on things.  
Natsuno begrudgingly keyed in each number. With every passing second a lump in his throat grew, when the dial tone started to chime, he felt like throwing up a lung.  
“hello, Shimizu residence.” A deep male voice penetrated the room.  
“yes, this is Natsuno yuuki, can I talk to Megumi?” the pit in Natsuno’s stomach deepened.  
“oh, you again…listen you skinny punk, if you’re planning on doing anything of ill repute with my daughter, I will take our family sword and shove it so far up your-“  
“DAD! “ Natsuno heard a small scuffle and muffled bickering over the receiver, finally Megumi started to speak “I’m sorry about him, but what’s up? What do you want?”  
Natsuno felt thoroughly awkward, a small shiver crept down his spine…..”well…now’s the time…ugh. Megumi?...we need to talk.” Natsuno said a silent prayer as he waited to hear Megumi’s answer.  
“well yeah, that’s why you called me right?”  
“this is serious….do you think you could meet me somewhere” Natsuno had to pull the speaker away from his ear as a loud squeal echoed past..  
“sure! I’d love to go somewhere with you!”  
“Megumi I think you’re missing the poi-“  
“so where do you want to go? We could eat, or go shopping, or on a moonlit walk.”  
“Megumi, I’m not asking you on a date. There is some serious stuff I need to talk to you about….besides, the moonlit walk is out of the question…..just meet me at Hasegawa’s café.”  
“aww….ok, sorry if I got carried away….that sounds fine-“ Megumi sounded disappointed. another voice cut through the speaker.  
“AND IT IS A BIG SWORD TOO, IT WILL COME CLEAN OUT THE TOP OF YOUR SKULL, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!!!” Mr. shimizu’s voice rattled the entire hallway.  
Natsuno heard another brief scuffle and Megumi started to speak again. “I can go right now if you want.”  
“sounds good……and please whatever I tell you, just bear with me.” As Natsuno hung up the phone he could hear Megumi’s father yelling in the backround…”jeez…that guy is insane”

 

Natsuno began the long walk into inner sotoba. It was just nearly past noon and the sun’s oppressive heat made the distance quite bothersome. As he neared the café, he noticed the shadows in the alleyways start to dance. With a wandering gaze, he caught sight of more villagers looking at him. When he turned his gaze to meet them, their eyes darted away.  
“typical…” Natsuno pressed on, despite the muffled whispers and judgmental stares. The only things that truly bothered him were the dark shadows of the alleyways, he kept picturing whatever evil at be was lurking in them, ready to pounce on a moment’s notice. As soon as he were to drop his guard, they would come charging at him, fangs dripping red and mouth drooling with anticipation. Natsuno shivered in place for a moment. As he came around the corner he could smell something sweet on the breeze. The café he was meeting Megumi at always carried a delicious scent. It varied from day to day, but it was usually a savory flavor. It was rare the air smelled so sweetly.   
As soon as he reached the sign he could hear a voice beckoning him over.  
“Yuuki! I’m over here! Hey!” Megumi waved her arms up and down frantically as she called for him.  
Natsuno walked over to her table. It was in a nice shaded spot outside, so the twisted metal frame of the chair was not too hot to sit on.  
“how did you get here so quickly?” Natsuno placed a napkin in his lap as a waiter brought them both a cold glass of tea.  
“I live closer than you do. So what did you want to talk to me about…is it about me? Did I do something?” Megumi stared at Natsuno with big sad eyes. Natsuno had to glace away for a moment.  
“no, its not that sort of thing…..megumi brace yourself for what I have to say… this is gonna sound crazy but please hear me out.” Natsuno could feel a lump in his throat.  
“sure yuuki.” Megumi looked at Natsuno, concern burning in her eyes.  
“I went to the clinic yesterday…and the doctor and I started talking…you know all the deaths right?”  
“yeah…I thought it was some kind of epidemic.” Megumi’s interest piqued.  
“well…as I talked to him…..he seemed to think it was something different.”  
“different how? You aren’t making any sense.”  
“he….thinks….there are…monsters or vampires….or something he called okiyagari… attacking the village. Those are what caused the deaths.” Natsuno braced himself for the laughter that Megumi was sure to throw at him. But she remained silent. The look of concern still apparent.  
“you don’t take him seriously do you?” she grabbed his hands.  
“I didn’t….at first…but I saw something last night….ive been seeing things…and if you think about it as if there are vampires, or okiyagari…..all the things I’ve seen make way to much sense.”  
Megumi held his hands tighter, the warmth of her palms comforted Natsuno.  
“what do you mean? What did you see…tell me from the beginning.” She was entranced by his story.  
“it all started the day we went to the mansion together….when I was in a hurry to get us to leave, it was because I saw fangs, or something, in that woman’s mouth….then that little girl kept getting really close to me, it freaked me out, but at the time I thought I was just being nervous, the only reason I jumped up to grab your hand was because I needed someone to keep me in check……but it gets better, every night afterward there was always a pair of eyes hiding behind the forest in my room watching me, I thought it was you, but then our moment outside of the shop convinced me otherwise…. And finally. I spent the night with Tohru yesterday. He went to get a soda. He was gone for a really long time. I went to check on him….but” Natsuno could barely continue his story, he was shaking so hard that the tea in his hand was splashing onto the table. “he was acting so strangely. He just kept staring at the light, he kept saying that Masao needed to see him. He only came too when I slapped him….and then I saw the blood on his neck…..i have to say, Ozaki’s idea may not be far off… I understand if you don’t believe me, but please be careful.” Natsuno looked to see if Megumi was laughing at his story, he was convinced she would find him crazy. He absolutely dreaded what she had to say. When he looked at her however, her eyes were wide, and her complexion turned a ghostly white. She spoke softly, barely audible.  
“so…you saw them too...”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> megumi breaks down as she reveals her secret to natsuno, ozaki has to deal with his family

So….you saw them too….”  
Natsuno couldn’t quite make out what Megumi said. All he noticed was that her hands turned to ice, that warmth that made him feel so safe…gone in that instant. Her complexion was pale, her eyes wide with fear.  
“Megumi…what? Why are you looking at me like that?” Megumi started to tighten her grip around Natsuno’s hands. He pulled out of her grasp when he noticed the tension. Those cold hands were slick with sweat, so he escaped with ease. Megumi however remained silent, the lack of contact only made her seem more afraid.  
“Megumi? Hey? What’s wrong? You need to speak up for me.” Natsuno noticed how quickly her demeanor changed. So he spoke softly to her. He gently reached back for her hands, they were still ice cold. Megumi kept silent. She slouched back in her seat as the same soulless expression was plastered all over her face. Natsuno’s mood quickly changed as well. He had initially sought Megumi out to find a listening ear, and to warn her of whatever impending peril might be lurking around the future. He was apprehensive at first, but seeing Megumi in such a frightened state sparked his protective instincts. Instincts that…once upon a time…he thought he would never feel, especially toward Megumi. As the heat from Natsuno’s started to warm Megumi’s own hands, she began to speak more clearly. Megumi repeated herself, this time in bolder fashion.  
“you saw them too. Her fangs.” In an instant, all of Natsuno’s experiences were validated. All of his perceptions of Megumi were also shattered. The woman who had caused him so much pain in the past was now in a sorry state of her own, and instead of causing the pain….she was sharing it. Every cold chill, every spine tingle, every sweat soaked night shaking with fear….. in that second Natsuno knew Megumi had experienced them all. And from the look on her face, it seemed she had experienced just as much as he had.  
Natsuno tried to maintain his composure, a rare feat for him. He began to grip her hands more securely, rasping his thumb across her delicate fingertips. It was a vain attempt to comfort her. Natsuno decided to speak. He stood up, walked over to her side of the table, and began to speak softly in her ear.  
“i….i had no idea. How…how did you keep so cool? I thought you were totally lost in your own world.” Some color had come back to her face and her large beautiful eyes grew soft. She leaned in and began to speak gently to Natsuno as well. he could smell her sweet perfume on the breeze.  
“I thought I might have been seeing things at first… but then you freaked and grabbed my hand. I…wanted to convince myself. No, I HAD to convince myself…that the lie you told me as you hauled ass out of that place was the truth. I couldn’t tell you I saw things….you thought I was crazy already. I know we had our moment, but I felt so afraid of telling you…I didn’t want you to push me away again. I didn’t want to go back to the time when you hated my guts. You’re the only person I care for in this whole stupid village, I’m so sorry yuuki.” Those beautiful eyes swelled with tears. Megumi was still afraid, but she had seemed to reign in the worst of her terror. She squinted to keep from crying. She didn’t want Natsuno to see her break down again. She was sure he would think poorly of her. She wondered why he even bothered with her in the first place. She was about to lose her composure again. as a single tear dropped from her cheek, two arms wrapped around her small frame. They held her tenderly, broad shoulders loomed over her. It took her a moment to realize what was happening. She opened her eyes to see Natsuno holding her tightly. He sighed heavily, Megumi could feel his chest moving as the embrace continued. The two sat like that for a moment, but they were in a bit of an awkward position, so Megumi snuggled her head into Natsuno’s shoulder for comfort. Natsuno could feel her soft cheeks brush against his. He marveled at how warm they were despite how afraid she was, She was shaking. He felt that and held on more tightly. Natsuno could still see a shimmer in her tearful eyes. But his presence made Megumi feel so safe. The sadness and terror quickly melted away from them. And Natsuno whispered tenderly in her ear.  
“all this time...and you knew too. Haha. It’s funny…I didn’t tell you about it for the same reason. I was so sure that telling you would end badly…I dreaded it, right up until I let it all out…I really lost my mind at the mansion that day…and so much has happened since, if I had held this in for much longer I can hardly think of what would happen to me…but you took in in strides. … I wish I could be as strong as you are.” Natsuno didn’t want to let go of Megumi. Something about their embrace felt so pure, so rare for him. He had never quite experienced this feeling before. So he wanted to hold on to the moment. He held her for a few moments longer. Megumi didn’t want to let go either. She felt so safe in his arms and she felt more strongly for Natsuno in that moment than she ever had before.  
“I’m so touched to hear you say that…one thing really scares me though….” Megumi dropped her arms. The two separated, but she was still locked in his violet eyes.  
“what…aren’t vampires scary enough?” Natsuno tried to lighten the mood, but the joke fell on deaf ears.  
“well….what would have happened to me if you weren’t there. What would have happened if you never spoke to me on the bus stop that day, if you kept ignoring me… would I become like one of those…things?. That woman had my hand like a vice. She probably only dropped it because you surprised her so much. I could never have pulled away on my own, even if I wanted to.” Megumi made a gesture with her right hand. She looked to her side, afraid of how Natsuno might react to her theory.  
“Don’t worry, I WAS there. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you…and for making it seem like you couldn’t trust me.” Natsuno feigned a smile. It was enough to pick up Megumi’s spirits a little.  
“anyway… on a more serious note…like I said about the doctor…and about Tohru… I need to stay with him overnight. I have to protect him….i couldn’t bear the thought of doing nothing when my friend is in danger….” Natsuno let out a concerned sigh. Though the look on Megumi’s face was anything but positive. She simply looked at him with a bored scowl at the mere mention of Tohru.  
“I couldn’t care less what happens to Tohru…..or anyone else here for that matter. He’s all you care about anyway right?” Megumi was seething with bitterness. It frightened Natsuno, and he had to back away a little bit.  
“oh come on…that’s not true…not anymore at least… I…care for other things…” Natsuno’s face started to turn a shade of red.  
“I’m sorry…that just slipped out. I don’t know why I’m still so twisted about that….” Megumi smiled slyly when she saw Natsuno blush. She found it fun to see him like this, a nice change of pace from his usual downtrodden mood. Natsuno rubbed his hair and laughed. He left Megumi with a few parting words before he made his way.  
“look, I just wanted to let you know about whats going on…but since you already know…I guess you should know to be careful. Dr. Ozaki and I still don’t know about the parameters of these creatures…the only thing we know for sure is that they drink blood. But not all at once, it takes 3 feedings one after another to kill someone…I don’t know how much blood that is myself but I’m sure the doctor does. Look, I gotta get out of here.” Natsuno moved from his position and dropped a few coins on the table.  
“hey…Megumi?” Natsuno looked back one last time.  
“yeah yuuki?” Megumi turned her head towards him, hands curtly folded in her lap.  
“I’m sorry…about everything” Natsuno turned to walk away, the sunlight glowed over his outline. Golden streaks waved in the breeze as the light passed through his hair. Megumi looked on as Natsuno walked away from the restaurant.

 

Dr Ozaki sat in his swivel chair, he was organizing death certificates. The papers lay sprawled out acroos his desk. The room was hot, the sun shined brightly through the bay window adjacent to his office. It was uncomfortably bright. Ozaki always seemed to find himself squinting this time of the year.  
“Natsuno….i hope the information you gave me was correct…..i can’t believe I’m relying on a kid to help me figure out an epidemic. Seshin doesn’t believe me…so I guess this is the only option…or…gehhh…ikumi…..i think I’ll stick with Natsuno.” Ikumi was a pseudo religious figure in the village. She was prone to flights of delusion and paranoia caused by psychosis. Every other day it seemed like she had experienced another “magnificent” vision. They were always fringe, everything from aliens, to government agents infiltrating the village. Interestingly enough, because of the epidemic…people were starting to believe her flights of fancy.  
“I just hope she doesn’t cause anyone to get hurt….man, this is taking too long” Ozaki sat for what seemed like hours, organizing and re organizing. People were becoming afraid to enter the clinic. all of the villagers were convinced that this was some kind of epidemic going around. They didn’t want to go to the clinic because it was surely a disease hotspot. No one wanted to risk infection. Needless to say, customer frequency dropped drastically.  
Ozaki heard movement. The roar of an engine vibrated through the clinic and the sound of tires could be heard crushing the gravel road just beyond the entrance. Ozaki looked out of his window. A shiny red car parked awkwardly, half sat on the gravel, the other half on the clinic lawn. Ozaki took one look at the car passengers. That fleeting moment was enough for all of the happiness and enthusiasm, whatever modicum of it he could maintain, to exit his mind. Ozaki started to curse under his breath.  
“damn it….god fucking damn it….great…just what I needed today.” Two women exited the car and hurriedly forced their way into the clinic. the older one was bickering with the younger, she gave the younger woman a swift tap on her head after a particularly loud insult. Ozaki hid behind a desk. He knew those women well. The younger was his wife; the older, His mother. With every step they neared his office, his stomach dropped another ten feet.  
“of all the days…why today…there were no deaths today…why can’t I ever get some peace and quiet.” Ozaki tried his best to let out a silent groan. He dreaded the visits from his family….more specifically his mother. That woman was just a little…off balance. His wife on the other hand was tolerable at best. It was just a faux marriage. His mother set it up so that he might bear a child to continue the family name. this never happened. Ozaki found his wife Kyoko to be unbearable to live with. She had a haughty girlish personality, something akin to a high-school cheerleader. It clashed horribly with his own gruff demeanor. For that reason she opted to live in the next town over from sotoba, called mizobe. Kyoko seemed to like Ozaki more than he liked her, so she would always try to visit, even if he had no desire to see her. He would just as soon sweep that part of his life under the rug and forget about it. But she always had to return, to shatter his peace. The door to his office opened, and an excited voice began to beckon the doctor.  
“Toshi, Toshi! Were are you?” she made her way around the office as Ozaki’s mother stood back in the hall. She kept calling him by that pet name, though he was never very fond of it.  
“Were is that good for nothing son of mine….boy! you had better show yourself! The clinic door is unlocked so I know you are here!” her intimidating voice only made Ozaki hide farther down under the desk he crouched in.  
“oh god, please no…I'm not ready!” Ozaki continued to silently pray as his wife made rounds of the clinic. her heels clicked against the hard tile flooring. Ozaki continued to hide, but it was all for nothing, kyoko swiftly made her way to the desk and looked under it. She grew an excited, and somewhat playful grin.  
“there you are my Toshi! What in the world are you doing under this desk?” she spoke to him in a friendly manner, very upbeat. This in itself would not have bothered the doctor, but he knew the wrath of his mother was soon to follow.  
“well…I dropped a scalpel under the desk, I was so distracted looking for it that I didn’t notice you come in.” Ozaki sat in his chair, he rolled his eyes as his mother began her long tirade about his duty to the family and because of his behaivor  
“nonsense! If you plan to lie to me at least make it believable. Why would you want to avoid your dear mother and precious wife? Why haven’t you given me an heir and why-“ her rant lasted for several minutes. The doctor sat helpless to find any way to silence his mother.  
“yes mrs. Ozaki why indeed would he be avoiding you?” Kyoko said that in a rather sarcastic tone. Ozaki couldn’t help but laugh a little at it. His mother gave kyoko another quick hit on the top of her head.  
“silence!”  
“why did you hit my you crazy old hag?” kyoko shouted indignantly at her, her face was seething with rage.  
“watch your tongue when you are in my presence!” the two began to bicker and complain again, much to Ozaki’s dismay. Suddenly the front desk phone rang, the nurse on duty picked it up and began to talk with a client, the first in a few days.  
“if its someone who is sick here you shoo them away! I don’t want to get infected with this diseasle like the common scum of this village!” she was looking straight at kyoko when she said the last part of her statement.  
Dr. Ozaki rushed to pick up the phone, anything including medical emergencies were welcome changes of pace, especially when the two harpies came to play at his clinic. Ozaki picked up the receiver and a shaky female voice echoed in his ear.  
“dr. Ozaki? My boy…my Tohru. He is in bad shape. Can you….”the woman started to cry over the phone  
“just calm down Mrs. Moutoh. Please try to speak clearly” Ozaki spoke gently to the poor woman.  
“can you please come to check on my Tohru? He passed out, he barely has a pulse. I don’t want my boy to be hit with this disease! Please come to our home and help him!” she started to cry histerically.  
“Natsuno…..you were right….i didn’t think anything would happen…but this puts a whole new perspective to my theory… mrs. Moutoh… I’ll be there as soon as possible!” Ozaki gathered all of his equipment in a flustered hurry. He fumbled around his desk. He was so nervous that he was dropping objects, in his rush it ended up taking more time to gather his equipment. The two women took notice of his rush and began to prod him for information.  
“what kind of rush are you into boy!? Did someone important get sick? Is that what the call was for?! I told you to shoo them away from the clinic!” Ozaki turned and began to shout at his mother.  
“mom, kyoko! Go home! I have to make a house call!”  
“ you are in no position to order me around boy! I am your elder and you will treat me as such!” the angry look on her face rivaled Ozaki’s own scowl.  
“I don’t have time to deal with you at the moment! Leave or don’t, but I need to go right now!” and with that Ozaki flew out of the door, he swiped the keys to the carp from kyoko’s hand before he made it out of the office and flew into the driver’s seat. The last thing they heard was the roar of the car engine speeding down the road. The two women sat motionless for a moment, flabbergasted at Ozaki’s rash behavior. It only took a minute for his mother to regain her composure. So she dusted herself off like it was nothing. Without missing a beat she turned and spoke to kyoko.  
“well…I don’t know what’s up his mind…..but I feel like taking a walk. this has been an eventful day, so I need to relax. You’re going to hold down the clinic until he gets back. Remember to shoo away all of the customers. We can’t risk anyone else getting infected.” She moved her head to the side and walked out of the door in a split second. Kyoko tried to call out to her in vain.  
“wait, don’t leave me here! I don’t know how to do doctor stuff!” she continued to plead long after Mrs Ozaki left the building. Just as she was about to leave herself, a knock at the door startled her out of her frenzy.  
She turned to open the door. A tall muscle bound man with blue hair stood a few feet from its frame, just beyond the threshold.  
“hello! Do you mind if I come in? I need to see the doctor. It’s nothing serious but I wanted to ask him a few questions.” The man smiled politely as he put his hand on the frame.  
“shoo them away? Should i... the doctor is out right now, but….how angry would that horrible woman get if I let someone in? yeah….i have to see her face….. you’re welcome to come in and share a drink with me.” Kyoko smiled politely.  
“you’ll really let me come in?” the smile turned into a devious grin. Kyoko looked away for a moment, and the man licked his lips.   
“that…..that would be just fantastic.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> natsuno megumi ozaki and seshin all pile in the clinic to stand guard over tohru

The room was swirling. Tohru lay in the bed adjacent to his desk many books and drawers filled with all sorts of objects, lined the walls of his room. Tohru had awoken in a daze. He slowly opened and closed his eyes. the slightest movement of his eye would cause everything in his field of view to leave a blurred afterimage, the imprint of which was still clearly visible when he closed them. The light fixture hung low in his ceiling, and as he looked around…it started to swirl. He felt drawn to its soft glow, and as he lay half conscious, he simply stared at it for hours, watching the blurred movements as it seemed to drift in a circle around him.  
“What…what’s happening to me….everything seems so…distant…was it the day before yesterday? That’s when this started right? Ugh...my head is pounding,” Tohru moved his head slowly to the desk next to his bed. He sluggishly reached an arm out for a glass of water sitting on it. He swiped at the glass a few /times, unable to quite grasp the depth perception. As he leaned closer to it, it started to shift and swirl in his field of view as well. After much hardship he finally managed to lay his fingers on it. Tohru pressed the glass to his lips and started to take shallow gulps, moving any muscle was exhausting in the state Tohru was in, even swallowing. But the water made him feel a little better. With his improved lucidity Tohru began to reflect on the events of the past few days, repeating events over in his mind. He was desperate to figure out what had made him so sick.  
“That’s right…Natsuno was standing behind me at the machine for some reason…before that…..agh! my head hurts when I try to think about it….and since then…I’ve been having so many weird dreams….always with Masao in them….despite his flaws he was my friend…I feel so bad for him, life cut short like that…he sure was strange…but its not like he’d ever hurt anyone….so why these dreams? I must feel worse than I thought”. Tohru kept thinking to himself, though as he did his thoughts started to run wild, eventually he drifted so far out of focus that he fell asleep again.  
Tohru awoke several hours later. He noticed something cold and hard on his chest, and a large shadow looming over him. He could barely make out the silhouette, save for its unkempt hair. And a cloud of smoke.  
“uuhhhgg….what’s….happening.” Tohru slowly opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. The figure leaning over him grew clearer.  
“Oh, so you did wake. Well that’s a good sign…there’s no question that he’s got anemia, and I can see the bug bites from here…..he’s definitely been attacked” Ozaki continued to poke and prod various parts of Tohru’s chest and face. At one point he even forced open one of his eyes and shined a small light into it.  
“his pupils are unresponsive….if they hadn’t called me he would surely be dead by tomorrow…..i think we might be able to save his life after all…Tohru? Your parents called me in because they said you were sick” Ozaki gestured to the right, Tohru’s father stood beside the desk, concern apparent on his face.  
“You’ve been acting so strangely over the past few days, yelling in your sleep, never getting out of bed. I saw you try to grab a glass of water a few hours ago….it took you 15 minutes to so much as touch it….i ended up having to hold it for you.”  
“But…I thought I had it…..i saw my hand holding it. That’s strange.” Tohru could still barely speak, each word coming out hushed and slowly.  
“Hallucinations are a common symptom of extreme dehydration and fatigue. Your lucky your father was there to give it to you, otherwise you might be in much worse a shape. Now I’d like you to tell me about the other symptoms you might be having, anything that isn’t normal for you…no matter how trivial.” Ozaki put a hand on Tohru’s shoulder. He held him securely.  
“Symptoms…like what?” Tohru’s eyes slowly drifted in Ozaki’s direction, he was having difficulty trying to stay awake.  
“Does anything hurt, how’s your appetite, sex drive, general feeling. That sort of thing.”  
“Oh….welll now that you mention it…..my head is pounding….sex drive? What do you need to know that for?” Tohru drifted into sleep again, but was quickly snapped awake by the doctor.  
“it was just a formality question. It slipped out. Your headache was caused from your dehydration…probably from the anemia too. What about the other questions?”  
“Well…I’m not really hungry either….when was the last time I had anything to eat anyway….i can’t remember…..i can’t remember a lot of whats happened lately…” Tohru layed his head back and started to groan. His hands still lay firmly at his sides, and try as he might, he couldn’t lift them up to touch his face. His whole body felt like it was made of lead, even the slightest movement took enormous effort.  
“Tohru….i’ve tried feeding you….but you haven’t wanted anything to eat for 3 days….” Tohru’s father started to pace around the room, he couldn’t hold back the incredible level of stress the ordeal was causing him..  
“3...days….am I going to be alright?” Tohru continued to attempt sleep, each time the doctor rousing him.  
“I will certainly try everything in my power…I have no doubt about your health. But just to be sure, I would like you to stay at the clinic for a day or two….we’ll see whats going on…been planning this for a while now.” Ozaki tried to hide a smug smile; the thought of getting his hands on whatever was causing so much suffering excited him, almost in a sadistic way. He gathered his things and walked around the room.  
“Is Tohru really that sick?!” Tohru’s father fell to the ground, kneeling at the doctors feet.  
Ozaki leaned towards him, then looked directly at Tohru. “no, not like that…if you call a day away from death sick….. I just want to observe him and make sure there aren’t any complications. You’re ok with this Tohru?” Ozaki looked at Tohru and smiled, a column of smoke passed through his nose.  
“Clinic….Ritsuko…Ritsuko!” when Tohru realized the thought that had just occurred he immediately sprang back to life. The vitality returned to his eyes for a brief moment, and in an excited stupor he lunged forward.  
“Sure! I would love to stay at the clinic for a few days! Forever even, just let me pack some-“in that instant Tohru hit the ground. He had passed out from the sudden burst of movement, his circulation hardly working due to the state he was in.  
“Tohru! Hey! Are yo ok?! Son…answer me?!” tohrus father frantically grabbed at him, not expecting the sudden behavior.  
“Relax Mr. moutoh….he just passed out from fatigue. This is why I wanted to keep him for a moment. I just want to make sure other complications don’t arise. Do I have your permission to hold him for observation for a few days? I would highly recommend you let me.” Ozaki took a large puff from the cigarette in the corner of his mouth.  
“I…I guess so….tohru sure didn’t seem to object…just promise that you’ll take care of my son!” Mr. Moutoh knelt at the doctor’s feet again, pleading with him.  
“Don’t worry, as if he were my own. By the way can I use your phone, I have a couple of calls I need to make.” Ozaki turned his head to the red dial up phone in the center of the hallway.  
“Sure…I suppose so. Who are you calling?”  
“Just the jr. monk from the temple and another person.” When he said the jr. monk, tohrus father grew ice cold, and looked terrified.  
“The jr. monk?! Is my son dying?!” his eyes grew large.  
“No no, not at all. This is just a personal matter, it would be convenient to do it here rather than wait to get to the clinic” Ozaki couldn’t help but laugh at mr. moutoh’s concern. Ozaki walked to the receiver, he keyed in the number, each button making its iconic note, it made an almost melodic tune.  
“Hello? Sotobahara temple, Seshin speaking, how can I help you?”  
“Seshin…I was wondering something….” Ozaki rubbed the back of his head, he dreaded what seshinwould say when he proposed his idea.  
“Toshio?...how are you doing. You haven’t spoken to me since the day that you told me your theory…” seshin’s voice was gurgled and static popped though the phone line. This was typical for sotoba, the mountains often blocked the local signals.  
“Yes…my…theory…..about that…” Ozaki braced himself for Seshin’s response.  
“Do you still believe it?”  
“I wanted you to come to the clinic and stay with me overnight for a couple of days…there is a patient I’m dealing with….he seems to be effected by this….problem. I’m gonna hold him for observation for a few days, and I want to see if they come to attack him.”  
“You need to grasp hold of yourself Toshio! You can’t play with people’s lives, especialy to prove some idea to me! I know that the situation at hand is hurting you, but please listen to reason!”  
“Seshin…its better I keep him with me rather than let the epidemic…..the vampires more like… take him. I haven’t held anyone in the clinic yet because I was afraid of infection…but I don’t think it works like that…..i just want to try and save lives….any way that I can. Please, I need you there….i want my only friend to believe me.” Ozaki blew out all of the smoke he was holding in. he started to fidget with the phone cord.  
“You really believe this is happening…the way you say it is. Do you really think there are monsters attacking the villagers?”  
“That’s what I’m trying to prove…I know I’m probably wrong, but I need you to work with me…its better I do something, rather than nothing.”  
“I…suppose your right….but this still feels like your exploiting the villagers…who is this patient anyway?”  
“Its Tohru moutoh. Someone cued me in to what might happen to him…I’m not the only person who thinks that something is fishy in this village.”  
“Tohru, the director’s son? That’s such a shame, someone so young is sick…..this other person…are they planning to stay with you as well?”  
“Well, they asked to, but I was only planning on letting them know. I don’t think it wise to have them stay.” Ozaki thought back to Natsuno, how frantic he sounded when he pleaded to help Tohru.  
“Fine, I suppose I could help you, if only to dispel your suspicion when nothing happens. Take care of yourself toshio….and for god’s sake stop smoking, I can hear you breath over the phone.” With that Seshin hung up, leaving Ozaki to reflect on what was to come.

 

Natsuno sat anxiously by the phone, every second drained him further and further. He had been like this for a few days, save the discussion with Megumi mere hours earlier. Natusno was still expecting the doctor to call, to tell him the state Tohru had been in, to ask for his help. Natsuno could barely keep himself together, would he be able to face a problem if it arises? What if something attacked Tohru and he was too weak to help…what if he was too scared to help.  
These thoughts gnawed and poisoned Natsuno. Every day for the past 3 weeks Natsuno had sat in fear in some form or another, and now that fear was very much planning to rear its head toward him directly. He was about to face the things that had caused him so much pain, head on. Honestly, he didn’t know what to expect.  
“Maybe its just a fluke…I’m sure Tohru will be fine” at least Natsuno hoped so, but judging from the state he was in when he found him, the outcome seemed dire. Until the doctor told him the true situation, all he could do was hope. He sat for what seemed like hours, though likely the time was dragging on for Natsuno. Finally he heard his phones unmistakable ring. As soon as the sound hit his ears he shot up like a rocket. He made his way across the hall as fast as he could, bounding and tripping over the sculptures his father had placed there. His father was about to pick up the receiver himself but before he could even lay a finger on it, Natsuno side stepped him and swiped it from his grasp.  
“Hello! How is Tohru?!” Natsuno’s father had a belligerent look on his face and gave Natsuno a quick blow to the top of his head, Natsuno was in such a frenzied state that he barely noticed, save for giving the bump a quick rub before continuing his conversation.  
“yuuki” as soon as Natsuno heard the voice his excitement shattered.  
“Oh…its you Megumi…sorry I was expecting someone else.  
“Yeah, it sure sounds like it….i can hear your disappointment from here.” The jest didn’t register with Natsuno.   
“Don’t feel bad, you know the situation I’m in,” Natsuno spoke to her in a condescending tone.  
“its my situation too…you know I’m just as afraid as you are! Don’t act like you have to point this stuff out to me, I’m not stupid. And don’t take it out on me.” Natsuno was taken aback by how angry she got. He had never heard the fire in her voice directed at him before.  
The guilt instantly started to eat at Natsuno. But there was still the gnawing fear that Tohru might not be ok, and though he felt bad, that still took top priority.  
“What did you want Megumi.” Natsuno said dryly. He didn’t quite know how to deal with an angry girl. So he felt it best to say a little as possible.  
“I wanted to come with you if you stay overnight with Tohru” Megumi said, just as coldly.  
That statement truly surprised Natsuno. He could feel his jaw drop a little bit.  
“What?....why? I thought you hated him.” Natsuno said apprehensively, he didn’t want to set her off again.  
“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like Tohru at all…but if the doctor is trying to figure these vampires out then I want to know more about them, I want to know what he knows…maybe I can protect myself better….i don’t want to be powerless like I was in the mansion. Do you know what it’s like to feel like that? Like trying so hard to change something and not being able to do a damned thing?! I don’t want that anymore!”  
“Damn….we have more in common than I thought…. I wouldn’t want to see you put yourself in harm’s way….but I don’t think I can stop you…just be careful….I’ll let you know what’s up…if it comes to that.”  
With that Natsuno hung up the phone. He began the long wait for Ozaki to call again. He had to keep shifting positions in his room, every so often something would snap him out of his trance. Sometimes the sun would be too hot, other times a fly would circle his head. But there was always something to bother him. It began to grow unbearable. Just when he thought he was going to die of boredom the phone rang again. Hesitant, he made his way back to the hall, his father picked up the receiver, giving Natsuno an icy look.  
“Hello? Yuuki, koide residence.” He flashed Natsuno a smug smile, his eyes taunted Natsuno for a brief moment “this one is for me son” he mouthed to Natsuno silently….then his eyes grew large….and with a defeated stance, gently handed the receiver to Natsuno.  
“My you’re popular today….” His father said bitterly. As it turned out Natsuno’s father was waiting for a call as well, he had a large commission, and the client was supposed to call regarding its detail. Natsuno shrugged him off and answered the call.  
“Natsuno…its Ozaki. We have Tohru in critical condition in overnight care…but I don’t think you should stay.” Natsunos heart skipped a beat.  
“What?! Why not?! You know that I have to!” Natsuno was destroyed when Ozaki suggested he stay home.  
“Look kid, I know Tohru is a good friend to you, but let’s say that he is attacked tonight, how am I gonna explain to your parents if you get hurt. Oh, your son wanted to help me but due to negligence he got hurt…it’s not gonna go well.”  
“You can’t be serious! First you want to use Tohru to test your theory but then you don’t have the decency to let me be there for him?! I can take care of myself…I have to come, please! You can’t possibly know how I feel!” Natsuno was clutching the receiver as hard as he could when he shouted at the doctor.  
“Natsuno, please listen to reason. There are lives at stake here. A whole village, what if you get killed and rise up as one of those things…then you yourself will be hurting those you with to keep safe.”  
“I don’t care about the rest of the village…there are only a few people I wouldn’t want to hurt if I were a vampire….I’d risk my whole being for them. Please doctor….i have to do this...” Natsuno could feel the sweat pool on his forehead.  
“i….you’ll just sneak in otherwise if I don’t right….but at the first sign of trouble you WILL hide….stay out of it. I can handle whatever there is, so don’t worry.”  
“He’s really gonna hate it when I bring Megumi….thanks….I’ll get ready and head over right now.”  
“Don’t make me regret this; i’ve seen enough suffering for one lifetime.” And with that Natsuno made his preparations, gave Megumi a heads up and went to meet her. Twilight fell heavy in the air, and amber light bathed the landscape of the village. The two walked the distance to the clinic. they tried to keep their minds occupied, so they talked and joked with one another… ineffective though it was, it was still a nice walk all the same. Though the thought of what was to come loomed in their minds.  
The sun had nearly set when they reached the clinic. And reluctantly Megumi knocked on the door. She heard a slow shuffling and could smell the thick cloud of smoke hiding behind it.  
“Natsuno… I see you brought a guest…..” Natsuno stepped back when he saw the daggers in the doctor’s eyes. He braced himself for the vitriol that Ozaki was sure to throw at him. But the doctor remained passive. Natsuno heard another set of footsteps and saw Seshin walk up behind him. Ozaki looked quite afraid himself.  
“at first I was going to send you home, even after the call….but Seshin here created your alibi…..and I suppose it would work for her too…I’m too old and its too late for me to deal with this…especially if there are monsters, I can’t very well send you home at night…Natsuno….for god’s sake….”  
“Actually at first I thought Ozaki here was crazy for even entertaining the idea, especially when I learned the other villager was a teenager…..but then he told me it was you. I remember you telling me about that day you went to the mansion…so I figured this would make a good learning experience. When nothing happens you can go home and sleep peacefully.” Seshin smiled warmly at him.  
“that begs the question….why did you bring Megumi with you?” Ozaki turned his gaze to her direction, she looked the other way, and started to fidget with her pigtails.  
“Doctor….i was with Natsuno that day….and I know about what’s going on too. I think yuuki saved me from one of those things….i came because I want to know what you know about them…I want to protect myself.” Megumi grasped the door frame tightly, afraid of how the doctor might respond.  
“You know as much as I do….probably more since you touched one….but you have Natsuno here to keep you safe, so don’t be so afraid alright.” Ozaki chuckled with her, and the joke seemed to meet well.  
“Megumi…you were there too? Natsuno didn’t tell me that…if you think they were really vampires then tell me what was so different about them.” Seshin looked at her in a friendly albeit skeptical way.  
“her hand was really cold….her complexion was also kinda pasty…and her grip was totally strong, I couldn’t move my hand…and of course there were the fangs…..” Megumi stopped talking after that, too worried to say more.  
“That’s some decent info….I’ll have to talk with you and Natsuno alone about it sometime.” Ozaki sparked his lighter, butto no effect.  
“Damned thing is outta juice again….”  
“Look, doctor…can you please take us to Tohru? How is he doing?” Natsuno pushed his way into the clinic, but Ozaki caught him by the scruff of his collar.  
“hold your horses, can’t have you running free in my clinic…..Tohru is on the first room up the stairs…and he is doing far better than he was, you might even be able to talk to him. That is if you can peel him away from our nurse, Ritsuko!” Ozaki kept trying to lighten the mood, but it too was to no effect  
Without a word Natsuno rushed up to the room, but before he went it he could hear the two talking. He decided to listen in on the conversation, making a shush gesture to the group at the foot of the stairs.  
“Listen…thanks for taking care of me…it means a lot...”  
“Tohru…you know it’s my pleasure. Do you need anything else before I leave from my shift?” before Tohru could respond, he noticed Natsuno looking at him through the window, his thoughts turned to the promise Natsuno had made him earlier.  
“i might not get another chance to ask her, and with me like this…how could she possibly refuse, perfect….actually there was one thing I wanted to ask…here goes…come on Tohru you can do this…I…I was wondering if you wanted to go on a drive with me, y’know once I get better?”  
“that sounds like fun, we could get Natsuno and Megumi to go with us again, have a friends lunch.” She smiled at him.  
“that’s…not what I meant…” Tohru looked to Natsuno, and Natsuno looked back, understanding perfectly what Tohru what doing.  
“I…want this drive to….you know….be just us….” Tohru quickly turned his head in the other direction.  
“I…I see…” Ritsuko blushed; she bit the corner of her thumb. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest, but didn’t know what to do. The room felt hot, and time seemed to stop for the two of them, at least for just a moment.  
“Will you?” Tohru turned back, his eyes pleading with her.  
“Yes…”   
Natsuno heard that and turned to the group at the foot of the stairs, with a grin, he gave the doctor excited thumbs up. Ozaki understood immediately, and returned in kind with a huge grin of his own, quietly saying “good on you” under his breath. Not long after that, Ritsuko rushed out of the room, her face still flush red, and her hand was on her chest. She made her way down the stairs quickly, and before Ozaki could give her another word, she slipped out. Once the dust had settled Natsuno made his way into Tohru’s room.  
For a moment Tohru lay there, basking in bliss. He looked worse than Natsuno had seen him at first, but Natsuno assumed that he was better than he had been earlier. An I.V. was hooked up to his arm, with a supply of blood. Natsuno walked over too him and have him a quick tap.  
“Hey Tohru….i’m here for you.”  
“Yeah, I know…doc said you might stop by.” He gave Natsuno a knowing look, there was a short awkward pause.  
“So…you made quite an impression on her didn’t you.” Natsuno smiled smugly.  
“I saw you hanging on our conversation….truth be told, if you weren’t there…I would have chickened out…I can’t thank you enough…for giving me the strength to do that.”   
“You did it Tohru….i was just there to hel-“  
“blleegh, lets put an end to this little bromantic moment.” In that second, Natsuno noticed Megumi wrap her arms around him. He sighed, and she looked towards Tohru…she stuck her tounge out. Tohru looked at her with a bored look….  
“its nice to see you too Megumi, what are you doing here?” Tohru spoke to her dryly..  
“My poor yuuki was gonna be here all alone, I couldn’t let him get lonely” she spoke to Tohru in a sarcastic tone, and pulled down one of her eye sockets at him.  
“So now I’m your poor yuuki? What happened to all that stuff about being afraid and wanting to protect yourself?”  
“Shush, you!” she took two fingers and closed his mouth playfully. Natsuno decided to play along for once; they started to chase each other around the room. When he got free of her chasing he started to talk with Tohru again….  
“you better settle in…It’s gonna be a long night.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> megumi and seshin have a bonding moment, then the shiki arrive on the scene

Natsuno stretched his arms as he sat in the cold chair next to Tohru’s bed. The room was dim. Night had only just begun to grip the village and a small sliver or red clung to the edge of the sky. The room Tohru was in was quite small, maybe half the size of the doctor’s office, just enough room for 4 people to sit comfortably. He could barely stay awake, and his eyes grew heavier by the second.  
“I wish I had a book or something….i wonder if they really will come tonight? Tohru…I’m sorry I let this happen to you.” Natsuno sighed. Tohru looked over and laughed at him.  
“Don’t worry, you’re here now, and that’s all that counts…..and by some miracle I got Ritsuko to go out with me. So in a way, I’m glad I got sent here.” Tohru’s voice was still a bit hoarse; he was obviously struggling to talk, even if the doctor did have him hooked up to some helpful medication. At one point he tried to lean up but Natsuno swiftly pushed him back down.  
“idiot! Are you trying to hurt yourself?” Natsuno spoke to him with protective anger, the same way a mother would when she chastised her child.  
“ow…you’re the only one hurting me….my butt gets uncomfortable in this bed, I just wanted to move a little bit.” Tohru, despite Natsuno’s protests, continued to adjust his position. He stopped for a moment to scratch his leg, but then resumed squirming.  
“Tohru come on…you need your rest.” Natsuno sounded defeated.   
“I just have anemia…it’s not like I broke a bone, nothing is going to end up where it isn’t supposed to.” Tohru smiled at Natsuno, and moved a bit more vigorously in a show of defiance. Suddenly a door opened behind them.  
“he’s right you know, if he has the strength to move, then let him move a bit, increases blood-flow and blah blah balh” Ozaki and the other two came into the room. They all placed their chairs down and took a seat. The room grew quiet for a few minutes, the only sounds made were the occasional flick of a lighter, and the rare turn of a page from Seshin. After a while Megumi’s demeanor started to sour.  
“I’m bored…” she said dryly.  
“I feel you….i wish I had brought a book or something…..try sleeping, if we need you we can wake you up.” Natsuno said, with the same lack of enthusiasm.  
“but…I’m….boooored...i don’t want to sleep.” Suddenly Megumi’s eyes shifted around the room, she scanned the whole area looking for even the slightest diversion, maybe there was a bug she could play with, she also thought of messing with the doctor’s tools, but that thought quickly died when Ozaki saw her looking at them. One gruff stare from him was enough to send her eyes careening in another direction. She gave up her search afer a few minutes of poking around the room.  
“Why don’t I make us some tea, lighten up the mood a bit.” Seshin was trying his best to ease the tension.  
“I’LL HELP YOU!!” Megumi said ecstatically, this was normally a menial task she did not enjoy, but when compared to just sitting, it was far more desirable. She nearly threw herself at the Jr. monk’s feet…so desperate was her boredom. The two made their way in to the clinic break room, Seshin poked around for a few ingredients and Megumi began to grab cups. Seshin looked at her curiously; he wanted to know why the young lady decided to accompany Natsuno so such a sullen affair.  
“Megumi…..why did you show up with Natsuno. Were you close to Tohru as well?” Seshin chuckled warmly as he pulled down some sugar from a high shelf.  
“As if….i could care less about Tohru…” she looked in the other direction with disdain. She spoke in a condescending manner to Seshin.  
“You don’t like him? Why? He seems to be quite friendly. Especially so, considering he even befriended Natsuno.” Seshin looked at Megumi with concern in his eyes. She seemed downtrodden as she laid the cups on to the platter.  
“Yuuki always liked him more….he never even paid attention to me until recently…I don’t know what I might have come to if he never did…all I ever wanted was for him to like me, Tohru was always in the way, and it burned me up that he got to spend so much time with him…and that I didn’t.” Megumi was defeated; she slowly placed the cups near Seshin, who began to turn on the stove.  
“You have strong feelings for Natsuno, don’t you? What do you see in him?” Seshin was touched by Megumi’s story. He wanted to know what went on in her mind.  
“In this whole stupid village… Yuuki was the only one who didn’t make fun of me, even being ignored….it was better than the treatment the others give me. Everyone else thinks I’m a freak. He is the only one who understands what I go through…. He seems to like me now…and I’m glad…..but it still hurts for some reason.”  
“So why do you still not like Tohru? It seems like you have what you want…what you need even.” Seshin started to chop up some herbs as he talked.  
“honestly?.....its not even like that anymore….that jealousy died when Yuuki started to talk to me…now Tohru is just another one of the villagers, I can’t stand them either….i want to leave this place so badly its unbearable, if it weren’t for Yuuki, I’d rather die than spend another minute here, they all think anyone from outside the village is some kind of freak….they don’t even realize how lame and backwards they all are….” Seshin noticed how sad Megumi was becoming so he decided to go another route with the conversation.  
“I don’t like this village either.” Seshin looked at Megumi, who was staring back skeptically.  
“You? You’re the temple monk, it seems like you would like it the most, and more than anyone…doesn’t it hold some kind of sacred place in your religion?”   
“I don’t know if I believe in it anymore….this village is surrounded by death, now more literally than ever. You should be happy Megumi, you have so many days of joy ahead of you, unlike me you aren’t tied to this place, once you graduate, you can leave…I’m stuck here, Toshio too.” Seshin remembered how Ozaki’s family forced him to stay in the village; they had threatened to disown him, ordered him around with notions of family tradition and such things.  
“What if those things get me….. maybe I should just throw myself to them? End my struggle, every night I lie in fear waiting for them to get me. It’s not like anyone would miss me anyway….maybe one person…but I don’t really like her. I bet they all would just complain about how weird I was at my funeral….” Seshin stopped her before she could continue. He pulled down his sleeve and showed her the scar on his wrist.  
“Don’t ever think those kinds of thoughts… Natsuno would surely miss you, your parents, so many others…those types of thoughts will put you in a dark place….it’s not somewhere you want to be…trust me” Seshin pulled the sleeve on his robe back up and began to cook the tea.  
“i…I’m sorry....maybe one day, you will get free.” Megumi smiled back at Seshin, the two shared a laugh.  
“I wish for that…..Don’t worry about it.” Seshin picked up the tea pot, it had started to whistle quite loudly....megumi said something while it did but Seshin couldn’t hear her very well.  
“I never thought I would say this…..but for a villager……you aren’t such a bad guy.” She turned the other direction and flashed a sly grin for just a moment.  
“What was that?” Seshin tried to make out what she had said to him, but he couldn’t figure it. Megumi turned back and removed the pot from the stove.  
“…I said, should we pour a glass for Tohru?” she laughed awkwardly for a moment, hoping the monk didn’t notice her swallow her pride.  
“That doesn’t sound like something you would say…. Sure, I bet he would appreciate it.” Seshin still didn’t know what Megumi actually had said, but decided it was best not to press her.  
“Well…its done, smells good too.” Seshin picked up the tray and the two walked back into the room, Natsuno and Ozaki were in the middle of a heated story.  
“So what happened next?” Natsuno and Tohru were engrossed in the tale Ozaki was spinning.  
“Well, all of us were pretty smashed…..” Seshin opened the door. He heard the last bit of the story and got a bit flustered.  
“Don’t tell them that story Toshio, it’s embarrassing.” Seshin set the tea down, and Megumi went back over to Natsuno’s side.  
“Come on, lighten up Seshin, I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.” Ozaki stared blankly at Seshin, a cigarette clung to the corner of his mouth.  
“Toshio…” Seshin looked at him with stern boredom.  
“Oh alright. Well finish this another time, boys.” And so the story was delayed. The group decided to wait for the night. Tohru eventually fell asleep. Natsuno, still in a state of worry, could not force himself do the same. Seshin continued reading his book. And Megumi in usual fashion, started to fawn over Natsuno. She tried fiddling with his hair, she straightened his collar, she even tried to scrape off some dirt from his cheek. That was the point Natsuno started to swat her away.  
“I’m not your doll…stop, hey that tickles!” Natsuno brushed her aside, both laughing.  
“Oh. To be young again”  
“Speak for yourself Seshin.” Ozaki smiled as he sparked his lighter.  
The scene remained like that for what seemed like hours, eventually everyone but Natsuno had fallen to sleep, though he was not far behind. He groggily glanced around the room. Ozaki and Seshin had both fallen back on their chairs….tohru was peacefully resting in his bed, and Megumi had passed out on his shoulder.  
Natsuno took a moment to reflect on the recent events. He thought about Tohru, and all of the deaths. He thought about Megumi, he wondered how differently things would have turned out had he never talked to her that day at the bus stop, maybe she would have gone up to that house alone, been turned into one of those things….for all he knew, she could be the one trying to kill Tohru. She seemed to be growing more passive towards him, but Natsuno could still remember how bitterly she had hated him before. And then there was the whole village of sotoba. Natsuno never liked it here, he felt an almost kin like bond between himself and Megumi when he learned she hated the village more than he did.  
“its strange the way things work…if even one thing had turned out a little differently-“   
*taptaptaptaptap*   
Natsuno snapped back to his senses. A chill ran down his spine and goosebumbs raised on his skin.  
“could it be?...megumi, hey wake up….do you hear that too?” Natsuno pushed her shoulder and shook her a little bit. The pink haired girl slowly roused from her sleep. She wiped a string of drool from the corner of her mouth, and looked at him with tired, though still quite beautiful, eyes.   
“what…what is it Yuuki?” *yawn* Megumi slowly leaned off of Natsuno’s shoulder. She stretched her arms up in the air for a moment. Natsuno couldn’t help but look in her direction.  
”…she really has a nice figure…I mean….. did you hear that sound?” Natsuno blushed.  
“what sound?” Megumi wondered what Natsuno meant.  
“quiet…listen” the duo sat two a breast listening as hard as they could, but gave up after a few minutes of silence.  
“maybe it was my imagination….guess I'm just scared.” *taptaptaptaptap*  
“…no… I definitely heard that one, Yuuki…” Megumi inched closer to Natsuno. He noticed the sweat beading up on her forehead  
*TAPTAPTAPTAPTAP* those were loud, loud enough to wake Ozaki and Seshin.  
“What was that?!” the two yelled in unison.  
*TAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAP*  
“Masao! I'm in here! I’m in here!” Tohru woke up. He was sitting up in his bed stiffly. His eyes were blank, and he had his head turned unnaturally towards the window.  
“Tohru? What are you talking about,” Natsuno was worried, he tried shaking Tohru, he tried slapping him, he even threw a few punches, but Tohru wouldn’t budge. He wouldn’t even react. All that he did was stand in front of that window….not moving, not doing anything, save call out to Masao.  
“Tohru! Get away from the window!” Ozaki had a deranged look in his eye, without missing a beat, he grabbed Tohru and tragged him away from the window, Tohru started to put up a fight when his position was disturbed, clawing and punching at the doctor.  
“Let me go! Masao wants to see me! I can’t disappoint him! I can’t disappoint Masao!” Tohru started to tear up even though the doctor would not relent his grasp.  
“Seshin, pull the blinds! Do it now!” Ozaki was yelling at the top of his lungs. While most people met stress with fear, Ozaki met it with anger. He would always tend to get angry when the chips were down, when things didn’t go his way.  
“are you sure?” Seshin was appalled at how rashly the doctor was acting.  
“DO IT NOW! I CAN’T HOLD HIM FOR MUCH LONGER!”  
“okay! Fine!” Seshin ran to the other side of the room and reached the knob for the curtains. He hesitantly gave it a twist….when he saw what was on the other side of the glass……he fell to his knees. Natsuno and Megumi could merely stare in terror…..there masao was, crisp and pale. Eyes like black slits, and fangs….they were an inch long, and they glowed with an unnatural shine. He simply stood on the ledge, hunger seething in those black eyes. Calmly, he tapped on the window  
“Tohru? Won’t you come out. Won’t any of you come out? I’m so lonely up here all alone.” He spoke softly to the whole group, though his eyes locked with Megumi. He gave an eerie smile, his thin lanky frame bend unnaturally in the harsh glow of the moon.  
“shimizu….you look so warm. Will you please come out on to the ledge and warm me up too? Please, come out here, let me hold you.” he rasped his black lounge across his thick swelled lips. Megumi could only gag in horror. Natsuno however….Natsuno was growing angry. He walked up to the window and began to shout back at Masao.  
“Like hell anyone would come out of here! You and the rest of your friends just leave me alone! Leave us all alone, go! Go away!” Natsuno could only shout at the vampire, he dare not open the window, lest Masao come inside. He had yet to know what they were capable of. He didn’t want to risk entry.  
“the others should be here soon….just wait, I’ll be sure to have them be gentle with all of you…..other than you Natsuno…..i’m going to thoroughly enjoy killing you… but don’t worry about Megumi and Tohru…..i’ll take good care of them” Masao stated that simply, in the same calm…almost medicated way he had before. Natsuno could only look on with blind rage. He was so tempted to smash open the window and punch Masao. But Megumi pushed Natsuno aside. The look on her face scared Natsuno more than Masao did.  
“HOW DARE YOU THRATEN MY Yuuki! TOUCH EVEN A SINGLE HAIR ON HIS HEAD AND I WILL DESTROY YOU!” Megumi shouted and hurled the most heinous insults at the vampire. Masao simply laughed it off.  
“you’ll come around.” Masao dropped down the ledge. It was a slow floating drop, defying gravity; he gracefully landed into a group of other vampires. Natsuno couldn’t make out any of their facial features, but one thing stuck out….the massive swarm of glowing red eyes that pierced through the night.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the shiki advance on the clinic, and natsuno will fight tooth and nail to protect the people he cares about

Ozaki ran to the window. He had given a still screaming and kicking Tohru to Seshin. Ozaki could only look down in horror at the multiple silhouettes with piercing red eyes on the pavement below. He saw them shift and shuffle, Natsuno was having trouble keeping track of Masao. Megumi was white as a ghost, the moonlight caught her pale skin in an eerie way, almost making her look like one of the rabid monsters down below. Ozaki started shouting and billowing at the creatures. The look of utter scorn on his face scared Natsuno nearly as much as the vampires below. Ozaki kept yelling at them, teeth bared, the shouts were so loud that Megumi could feel the metal table next to the bedside vibrate.  
“Is…he ok Yuuki? I’m scared.” Megumi slowly staggered away from the window, Ozaki’s constant yelling and screaming were making her visibly uncomfortable. Natsuno didn’t quite know what to make of the situation. Should he try to talk to Megumi…or to Tohru? Or both…. After much stressful deliberation he reluctantly walked up to Ozaki and tried to reason with him.   
“Doctor….you’re scaring us. I know how bad you want to get these guys…but yelling and shouting….it won’t help! Please, we need you. calm down for a second.” Megumi walked up behind Natsuno and hid behind his back. He looked at her and held one of her hands. This calmed her down a little bit. Ozaki, now within his senses again backed away from the window.  
“i….i’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” Ozaki was visibly exasperated. Natsuno started to notice subtle clues about the doctor that he didn’t before. He could clearly see Ozaki’s baggy eyes, lack of sleep obvious to even the most impaired person. Natsuno saw his thick facial scruff, thicker than normal, and a few small stains on his undershirt. Ozaki was in much worse a state then Natsuno was first led to believe. The vampire attacks were starting to take their toll on him. Though Natsuno didn’t think Ozaki was in the wrong…he did think that he might have been growing unstable, due to the immense stress. Seshin walked up and pit a hand on the doctors back.  
“Toshio….i know how you must feel….i…I can’t believe these things exist.” Ozaki turned around with rebirthed composure. He couldn’t help but derive a smug joy from being vindicated.  
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure of it myself…I just need to figure out what to do now….ouch!” Tohru was still kicking and flailing in the doctor’s arm, Ozaki had the strength to subdue Tohru with one hand, considering his weakened state, but Ozaki caught a rough blow off guard. Without thinking he gave Tohru a harsh thump to the back of his head. Tohru was quiet for a few moments.  
“Hey! Be careful with him doctor!” Natsuno could barely hold back tears. He saw the look on Tohru’s face, one of pure desire and agony. Ever since Masao had shown up to the clinic, Tohru had been kicking and screaming like a small child in a candy store. He was usually more mature…to a degree….it killed him to see his friend suffer so much, needless to say what it was doing to Tohru. Megumi looked concerned as well…but that was mostly for Natsuno’s sake.  
Seshin walked up to the window to take a look at the horror below, his curiosity piqued. He saw the hollow swarm of red eyes shifting and walking about. The faint outlines of their forms were barely visible in the dim glow of the clinic light. Seshin had to squint to get a better look. Suddenly the movement started to shift. The creatures grew organized; they started to circle the clinic, lining up at every window and door. The entire group could hear them scratching the walls, all of them pleading to let them in. the chanting sent chills down Seshin’s spine, and the clinic grew ten degrees colder.  
“What are they doing?” Megumi was hiding even farther behind Natsuno, and the two asked that in unison.  
“Toshio?...why won’t they just come in. there are more of them than us. Surely it would be an easy matter.” Seshin talked nervously, he was still trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered reality.  
“Maybe…..maybe they can’t come in unless they’re invited, maybe the way movies and books are accurate in their portrayal of vampires…or whatever these creatures are….” Ozaki was shaking. Though he didn’t easily let it be known, he was under dire straits himself. Only the most perceptive of people would actually notice, but the subtle signs of his paranoia were evident to anyone willing to peer into it. Considering the mental state of the rest of the group, it wasn’t at all likely to be noticed.  
“Maybe…but can you be sure? Should we lock up all of the windows and the doors?” Seshin was taken aback. He himself was growing quite anxious; he wasn’t one to get easily stressed. But this moment was surely the most trying he had ever experienced There was still so much about the creatures below him that remained a mystery. One thing scared him however….they were sufficiently strong enough to drop 3 stories without so much as a scratch, what’s more, Masao even stuck the landing.  
“That would probably be best….just in case….Natsuno….you go with Seshin and cover the ground floor. Megumi and I can take the upper windows.” Ozaki grew more confident as he professed that call to action.  
“But I wanna go with Yuuki!” Megumi whined and pressed the doctor…but the look on his face turned sour. He turned his piercing eyes to Megumi and she grew silent. She wasn’t quite sure is she was more terrified of the vampires or the doctor.  
“It’s less dangerous up here. I don’t think Natsuno wants you in harm’s way…besides…if something happened to you, it would be much harder to explain to your parents than it would be to Natsuno’s” Ozaki stopped laying into Megumi after that. And she calmed down after hearing his reassuring words  
“so that’s it…saving your own hide, I don’t like it…but you have a fair point…..that seems like a good idea Toshio.” Seshin picked up a few items and the two headed down the stairs. Night had reached its darkest and it was evident in the clinic. Nothing was visible in the sea of black, only a small section could be seen from the dim glow of Seshin’s lantern.  
“There’s gotta be a light switch around here or something right?” Natsuno looked around wearily. He could still hear the vampires chanting just outside of every entrance. Waiting for a way in…waiting for their next meal. He could imagine them all breaking in, setting themselves upon him and his company. He could almost feel the pain of a thousand fangs ripping into his flesh. His body growing cold from lack of blood….he shivered in place for a moment before peering around the clinics sinister dark hallways.  
“Yes, by the front door.” Seshin moved the light source so that Natsuno had a clear shot to the door. An amber glow illuminated the switch he went to turn it...the lights began to flicker, but ultimately the clinic grew dark again…it seemed that the very presence of these creatures snuffed out light and hope.  
“Damn….powers out” He locked the door. The metal knob was especially cold, unnatural for this time of year. The moaning and chanting was rising to a deafening roar. The handle jiggled, and the vampires outside started to pound and kick the door. This started to terrify Natsuno and Seshin. The sweat on their foreheads glittered from the lanterns light. In a panic they started to move faster.  
“What are we supposed to do? Does anything important need power here?” Natsuno turned to face Seshin. Seshin was still quite paralyzed from the recent turn of events, but Natsuno’s presence seemed to help Seshin reign in his fear.  
“They…they won’t stop yelling… all of them are crying…pleading for entry! Natsuno….that day you met me after you went to the mansion….i’m finally starting to realize what you were going through…I just wanted to say I’m sorry for doubting you.” Seshin started to shake for a moment. Natsuno had to give his sleeve a tug to keep him going.  
“Look, don’t mention it, it’s not like you were giving me a hard time about it or anything. So, no need to feel bad. This is something you need to see to believe…..we should probably find a way to get the power back on…if they do break in….i want to see them coming.” Natsuno gave Seshin another tug and he finally snapped back into his senses. Reassured, he took the lead.  
“There is a generator in the basement….Toshio and I used to play here as kids, so I know the whole place pretty well.  
“Sure…sounds good to me I guess.”  
The two made their way down the rickety old steps to the clinic subfloor. It wasn’t so much a basement as it was a low room. The first thing they noticed once they opened the door was a long….lanky shadow.  
“Masao again….” Natsuno was growing bitter. All of the fear that these creatures had been sowing in him over the past few weeks was slowly morphing into anger. He gritted his teeth as he stared at the pale figure. Masao simply stood there looking smugly at the two. He began to rasp his finger across the glass. Tapping the window lightly. The pale moonlight crept into the room at an odd angle, and Masao’s shadow grew distorted and lanky.  
“He’s just standing there.” Natsuno could see his breath, the air was cold. And the imposing vampire was staring at him with those piercing eyes  
“Yeah….why though? Maybe he can’t come in. after all” the two talked in a hushed tone…but Masao could still hear them.   
“That’s not true. I can come in, if you invite me” the two flinched when Masao began talking. His voice even now was still grating.  
“What do you want?!” Seshin began to plead with Masao.  
“Tohru….and of course…I want to kill Natsuno. “ he stroked the window even more frantically  
“What did I ever do to you?!” Natsuno was growing impatient. With each passing second he wanted to reach out of the window and give Masao a thrashing.  
“Tohru likes you more than me…and Shimizu loves you…..i want to be the center of attention for once, I want everyone to stop ignoring me! Tohru is going to thank me when I turn him! And I can force Megumi to love me!” Natsuno grew more and more horrified with every word of Masao’s speech.  
“ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?! You caused us all of this terror…you caused Tohru so much pain! All because you were jealous?!” Natsuno was blind with rage. All of the hatred and vitriol Masao felt…all of it was for such a petty reason.  
Meanwhile  
“Well…that’s the last window. We should be able to help out Natsuno and Seshin now.” Ozaki laughed. The lights were still down in the building, and that unsettling chanting was growing loud even to Megumi.  
“Finally. I hope Yuuki can manage without me….this chanting is starting to get on my nerves, but they can’t come in right?” Megumi was dying to get to Natsuno. That strong desire seemed to quell whatever fear she may have had.  
“They would have already…don’t worry about them….i’ll kill every last vampire.” Ozaki clenched a fist. His eyes sharpened, and Megumi could see the bloodlust in them….she couldn’t tell the difference between his eyes…and Masao’s… the two turned to leave the door, Ozaki in the lead.  
Suddenly a figure with blue hair popped out from behind the door. He swiftly struck Ozaki on the side of his head. Megumi could hear the scrape of his fist as the doctor hit the floor groaning in pain.  
“Hi doctor Ozaki….my name is Tatsumi. I believe that guy belongs to me.” The man stood tall and imposing, two inch long fangs splayed in his mouth. He was holding the doctor up by the scruff  
“Masao! Masao! Come on! I’m in here. Come for me Masao. I don’t want to disappoint you.”  
Megumi screamed.

Meanwhile  
“aaagghh!” Natsuno’s eyes instantly darted to the sound of the scream.  
“That was Megumi’s voice!” without a second thought he ran out of the basement. He didn’t so much as stop to move things out of his way. He just crashed through them like a man possessed  
“Wait Natsuno!” Seshin tried in a vain attempt to grab his collar but Natsuno was too far away.  
“Guess that’s my cue. Tohru seems to have let me in….and I can hear Tatsumi too. So long.” Masao jumped on to the ledge above the basement window. He managed to climb to the top floor window where Tohru was held, in only a few seconds.  
“My god!” Seshin ran after Natsuno, but wasn’t nearly as fast. He actually had to take the time to remove the clutter from the basement floor.  
Masao jumped into the room. He took a quick glance around. He saw Tohru lying on the floor and the doctor trying in vain to fight off Tatsumi with a scalpel. He made his way over to Tohru…but then heard someone shuddering in the corner. He looked. And saw Megumi huddled up with a chair in her hand.  
Instantly he turned his sights on her. A sinister smile crept up on his face ans he walked towards her.  
“Hey Masao what are you doing…you were supposed to go after Tohru remember….agh!” Tatsumi caught a ripe slash to his face. In retaliation he kneed the good doctor in the stomach. He could hear a couple of ribs crack, and the doctor doubled over in pain again. Without another word Tatsumi picked Tohru up by the scruff and began to walk towards the window. Masao was well on his way to forcing himself on Megumi. She was swinging the chair and shouting frantically, but each wound she inflicted on Masao would heal as soon as it was hit.  
“Get off of me freak!” Masao wouldn’t listen. He was simply too absorbed in the malicious fantasy he was imagining. He kept trying to move his hands into Megumi’s suggestive places and all she could do was kick and scream, she bit one of his arms and that seemed to hurt him badly. Without thinking he threw a hard punch in her face.  
“Get away! Get away! Get away!” She desperately struggled kicking and screaming, she was barely able to hold him off, but she was slowly losing her strength a moment longer and Masao would have his way. She could see his fangs extend…and she could see the horrible intent in his eyes.  
Natsuno could hear the commotion from just beyond the door. He ran even faster and burst through it. The scene that greeted him was horrifying. In one corner, Masao bearing over Megumi. The doctor bloody and broken on the floor…and Tatsumi walking Tohru to the window…..he didn’t know what to do. Time seemed to freeze in that instant. Were he to leave one, the other would surely be worse off. Did he have the time to save both?  
“What am I going to do?! Where is Seshin!?” I Natsuno stood there in shock for a moment. Until Megumi’s frantic voice pulled him out of it!  
“Yuuki! PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE!” she cried out to Natsuno, tears streaming down her eyes as Masao’s black tongue started to rasp her cheek. That was the straw that broke Natsuno’s back. His eyes grew dark and his mind went blank, the only thought left to him at the moment was blind unadulterated rage. He ran at Masao, pulling the knife out of his pocket. He jammed it into Masao’s throat as hard as he could. The vampire’s blood sprayed across the wall…but only for a moment, the injury healed within seconds.  
“Hey! That hurt!” Masao turned to face Natsuno. He threw a punch, but in Natsuno’s fevered state he merely shrug it off. He got a better grasp on the knife and started slashing into Masao like a mad serial killer, the same empty look in his eyes. In the flurry of stabs and slashes one plunged into his left chest.  
“gaahhh!” Masao limped past Natsuno, that wound nicked his heart. Fatal to any normal human, wounds to the heart were still serious even to shiki. They didn’t instantly heal, and the pain was many times worse than what it would normally be. Even a pinprick could send most shiki into shock. It was astounding that Masao could still move. He limped his way over to Tatsumi.  
“Are you done screwing around?. Let’s get him out of here…” Masao crept up to Tohru, who was long since unconscious courtesy of Ozaki. He extended his fangs and was nearly into his neck when Tatsumi kicked his chest. Masao doubled over and started to scream in pain.  
“What do you think you’re doing…..you defied my orders…do you really think I would let you feed? Consider yourself lucky I’m not going to purge you from our ranks...” Tatsumi didn’t notice Natsuno charging him with the knife until it was nearly too late, but without even looking at him, kneed his stomach, and threw a punch that sent him flying into the wall. That brought Natsuno back to his sanity…in painful fashion. With that Tatsumi held Tohru above the window.  
“Well….we’ve been instructed not to kill you right now doctor...as for you two..natsuno and Megumi…you can expect a visit very soon. Toodles.” Tatsumi leapt from the window. The hoard of vampires advancing one by one to his position. Slowly they all sank their fangs into Tohru’s unconscious frame. Natsuno dragged himself to the window and started throwing things and swearing at them in a vain attempt to dissuade them from their prey. But it was too late. He limped as fast as he could down to the first floor of the clinic and tried to crawl out of the door. But the doctor caught him by the collar.  
“It’s too late….don’t go out, you would just make for an easier target…” Ozaki had to stifle a tear from falling. But Natsuno struggled as hard as he could despite his injury.  
“Let me go! I have to save him! I can’t just let them feed on him like that! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! I promised him I would save him! I promised I would protect him!” the tears were flowing down his cheeks, Natsuno was never one to cry but the feelings poured out. There was nothing he hated more than to feel powerless. Ozaki held on to him. He started to tear up as well. Ozaki hated that feeling too. Finally the vampires had finished and fled into the night. As soon as they were all gone Ozaki loosened his grip, Natsuno ran to Tohru. He laid there silently in the field, a gust of cold air ruffled his hair... Natsuno cradled him in his arms, but he was ice cold….he wasn’t moving either., tears pouring down his face.  
“Tohru! Tohru! Speak to me! Come on!  
“na…tsu…no?” Tohru managed to gain a few seconds of consciousness before he went limp in Natsuno’s arms.  
“Tohru? ….this isn’t funny….wake up….wake up! Aaaghhhh!” Natsuno screamed and cursed as loud as he could. All he could do was wail in pain and loss. But Tohru wouldn’t move. No matter what Natsuno said, no matter what Natsuno did…nothing worked. Tohru was gone….and Natsuno was helpless.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in a bout of grief natsuno lashes out at the wrong people. but seshin has an idea how he might ease the pain in his heart

“T-Tohru, come on….please! You’re all I have here! You are the only friend I have! Please! Don’t you have dreams” Natsuno nudged Tohru’s cold frame one last time as he held his dear friend closely. The tears were pouring out, and all he could do was wallow in his misery. He held Tohru like that for a long time, but then he heard the sounds of footsteps marching towards him. The other three in the group crossed the lone field that Natsuno knelt in.  
“Natsuno….i…I can’t believe I let this happen…I was so sure the clinic was a safe place. You have to believe me! I just wanted to test the water! I never meant for this!” Ozaki stood a few feet behind Natsuno. His voice quivered and his fist was shaking with anger, his eyes were glossy, anyone could tell that he was desperately trying to hold back tears. Natsuno didn’t turn around. He still held what was left of his closest friend. His eyes were wide in shock. And he simply stared blankly. Every word of Ozaki was but an echo. The silence of the night, now more than ever, was deafening to Natsuno. That same silence that used to cause him so much discomfort and fear now only stood as a footnote to a vast despair. ”Natsuno……hey, listen to me. We have to go back inside…..what if they come back?”  
“Let them…why should I get to live when he didn’t? It’s not like I have any dreams… why didn’t they come after me? Why…..why did it have to be Tohru! He wanted something more!” Natsuno continued to face away from the doctor, his spoke in a way that didn’t acknowledge anyone. It was a quiet muffled voice. Natsuno was still very much in shock. He was never one to know tragedy, and this was the worst possible outcome. The doctor seemed to understand what was going on and left Natsuno to his own devices. Megumi was not nearly as perceptive. As soon as the doctor walked away, she ran to Natsuno with tears streaming down her face, staining her makeup. She threw her arms around him and kissed his neck. But Natsuno didn’t react. She hugged him and clutched him tightly.   
“Yuuki… I’m so sorry. All I could do was sit there. You got hurt because of me” she continued to cling to him, despite his squirming, he only wanted to hold Tohru however and Megumi was getting inconvenient. Natsuno could barely manage a whisper, but Megumi couldn’t hear it. She whispered back in his ear. “Thank you for saving me,” as she continued to cry into his shoulder.  
“Thank you for saving me…..for saving me…..saving….ME….” Natsuno realized the significance of what she said immediately. When he first entered the room…he saved Megumi first. It was a split second decision, but it weighed heavily on his shoulders. Finally he collapsed….”get away” Natsuno continued to speak in broken whispers.  
“What?” she didn’t quite hear what he said. Natsuno looked to her, and began yelling.  
“get away from me! Its your fault Tohru was killed! If I hadn’t been saving your helpless hide then I might have been able to save him!” Natsuno was screaming at Megumi from the top of his lungs. Megumi could only slump down in shock, she was nearly speechless. Natsuno was screaming so loudly that it shook the ground near him.  
“Yuuki….but i….” Megumi’s eyes were still wide in shock and fear, her pink pigtails touching the ground when she had to sit back.  
“Shut up! No one wanted you here! You aren’t any good to anyone, you drag everyone down with you and I won’t deal with it anymore!” Natsuno was standing in a slumped position barking his anger at Megumi. His eyes were red and bloodshot, and he didn’t even notice a drop to saliva clinging to the corner of his mouth. His mind was swirling and forming a coherent thought was all but impossible in that state. Megumi couldn’t even get a word in edgewise, she meekly backed away from natsuno until Seshin grabbed her shoulder. Megumi began sobbing loudly into Seishin’s robe, Megumi had never cried so hard in her entire life, Seshin tried to give her a few sparse words of encouragement but nothing helped her. And she could only muster up one response to Natsuno.

“I HATE YOU NATSUNO! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! i try so hard for you, and all you ever do is push me aside!”Megumicould barely sob that out, her loud cries distorting the speech. Natsuno was taken aback; he never realized Megumi might break like that.  
“Why did I say that to her? I just….i just destroyed my relationship with the last person who cares for me…Megumi…I’m….sorry…..Megumi? Hey?” Natsuno was in utter despair. It reached so far and pierced him so deeply that all he was left with was an empty nothingness, his young mind unable to even fathom such sadness. Megumi continued to cry hysterically and Natsuno thought he saw the doctor shake his head it him. Someone started to speak, but Natsuno couldn’t hear. He truly was trapped in a prison of his own mind.  
A few days later  
Tohru’s funeral passed without incident. His mother took his death extremely difficultly, especially in light of the doctor’s promise. Ozaki visibly took to drinking again, and would often treat his patients while under the influence. Natsuno was still unable to hear, still unable to feel. The burning emptiness left him without hope and his snap at Megumi…it left him without aid. For the first time Natsuno was truly alone. Though he may have felt hopeless in the time he spent in the village….he had never known the taste of true despair. It was rancid indeed.   
The whole village…what was left of it…attended Tohru’s funeral. Even Megumi shed a few tears for him, but Natsuno remained silent throughout the service, sitting in the back. Ritsuko had it the worst, the boy she might have grown to love was ripped from her fingertips before she even had a chance to truly know him, and she was left more helpless and baffled than any other villager.   
Seshin had convinced Natsuno and Megumis’ families that they were helping out at the temple that night, their injuries and trauma were caused by a wild animal attack. They, and the village at large seemed to believe the story. But people still wondered why Natsuno behaved so oddly….and why Megumi wasn’t tailing him. Natsuno hadn’t said a word since that night, and the two couldn’t even make eye contact with one another. Natsuno continued to sit in the back, despite the moutoh siblings’ protests to get him to speak. Eventually even Seishin walked up to Natsuno. Natsuno made meek eye contact with the junior monk.  
“I know how you must feel. That absurdly heavy emptiness…the feeling of being forsaken and abandoned.” Natsuno barely managed to stifle a response.  
“What could you know?” he said bitterly, his meek stare molding into a scowl. Seshin reaffirmed his words with a disciplined stare.  
“Are you so callous to think you are the only one that this has affected? Everyone has lost someone close to them, me, Toshio, Tohru’s family. All of us are bearing this suffering…your grief is heavy and you think it’s your own fault for what happened….that feeling of being powerless, it causes you to lash out at the ones who are close to you,…just like Toshio,” Seshin looked over to Megumi in the far corner of the room. And looked back to Natsuno, easing his tension  
“Megumi…..i could never face her again, not after what I said…” Natsuno slumped down and put his hands on his face. Seshin leaned in and smiled warmly.  
“Now now. Don’t be so sad, that girl loves you more than anyone I’ve ever seen. In fact, I didn’t know people can feel that strongly for one another” Seshin laughed warmly, but Natsuno was still distraught.” Anyway, what I mean is, you need to go apologize…if possible confess your feelings, I’m sure if you are honest, then she will forgive you…..how do you feel about her?”  
“…I never really thought about it. I know I was growing to tolerate her, but then” Natsuno remembered those tender moments with Megumi, the kiss, when he comforted her after she told him of her own fear…..all of the times they laughed together……the times they cried together….and when he saved her…..whether he liked to admit it or not…he did go to Megumi first. “i….i think…I think I do love her…..it’s funny, I’ve never said it directly before…..she thought the relationship was one sided, and still she tried her best to make me happy…to have fun with me…..”  
“So tell her that.”  
“I told you Seshin…….i could never face her again…..she hates me now…..you heard her say so…”  
” wounds heal for you much faster than for someone as old as me. If you can’t face her now then give it some time.” Seshin gave Natsuno a pat on the head.  
“How much time do I have Seshin? You heard those monsters….they said that they were coming for me and Megumi as soon as they could.”  
“Natsuno, why don’t you come somewhere with me after the funeral?” Seshin looked deep in thought.  
“Where….why?”   
“Just meet me at the temple around sunset; I think I can help you….with your grief and with your safety…” Natsuno agreed reluctantly and the service resumed as usual. Natsuno still felt empty, though the junior monk did seem to offer him a ray of hope at the very least…it was the only thread Natsuno had, and he clung to it for dear life.  
Several hours later  
Natsuno solemnly walked the path up to the temple. The twilight left a glittering yellow streak across the road. And the sotoba pines were swaying in the breeze, Natsuno caught a whiff of the scent, though the pine trees were a common variety….for some reason, the ones in sotoba smelled wholly unique. It was one of the seldom few things Natsuno enjoyed in such a cursed place. Seishin’s kind words helped bring him back to reality, but his head was still spinning. There were just too many variables to comprehend, that blue haired monster Tatsumi and his threat, Tohru’s passing, Megumi….that was one thing he thought he would never have to worry about….or, one thing he worried about the most. But even she was human, and she had her limits just like anyone else.   
Natsuno walked up the long ancient stairway that led up to the temple gate and saw Seshin sitting on the top step.  
“Ah, Natsuno. Glad to see you came after all,” Seshin handed Natsuno a warm cup of tea. Natsuno could feel the steam rising from the glass.  
“So what did you want me here for?” Natsuno said hoarsely. His appearance was more bedraggled than ever. His eyes were sunken in, his hair was a mess. And he even smelled terribly.  
“I know that the events of the last few days might seem like too much. But I promised you that if you ever needed something, then I would be happy to provide it. You might not admit it, but you do need help right now.” Seshin was concerned for Natsuno.  
“who says I do?” Natsuno stared back bitterly at the junior monk.  
“I can tell at a glance….and consider the fact that I was present when the events that set you off started. You can’t keep this sort of thing bottled up inside.” Seshin sipped his tea, but Natsuno found it hard to swallow.  
“I’m not keeping anything bottled up. Don’t act like you know me,” Seshin was slightly hurt by his words, though he understood where his suffering was coming from.  
“I know you blame yourself for what happened to Tohru.” Natsuno fell to the ground dropping his tea, the liquid sprayed across the pavement, but with the heat dried instantly. Tears started to drip across his face.  
“why….why wasn’t it me Seshin?! Why wasn’t I able to help him?! I tried! You have to believe me I tried!” Natsuno started to sob hysterically, but Seshin held his shoulders as Natsuno cried into his robe.  
“how many tears have stained these robes, how many grieving families have I had to support? How many more grieving parents and spouses will I have to hold like this?... Natsuno, you have to realize….this was not your fault, you did everything you could and more. You went above and beyond, and I’m sure Tohru is looking down from the afterlife on you fondly for trying so hard.” Natsuno continued to let his emotions pour out. And Seshin was more than willing to be his support. But then a scary thought crept across Natsuno’s mind.  
“Seshin….what if he turns into one of those things? Like Masao?! Will he lose his mind and just be a monstrous husk?!” Natsuno was taken aback in fear. His mind opened a door to a realm of horrific possibility.  
“Natsuno…..didn’t you notice, when those other vampires went to feed on Tohru….didn’t you notice how much they hesitated? How much they shook with fear every time the man with blue hair barked an order at them?” Seshin was still deeply lost in thought.  
“What do you mean…all I saw were a group of monsters murdering my best friend!”  
“I’m just saying….maybe they aren’t as cold blooded as we might think,” Seshin finished his tea.  
“Tell that to the families they destroy,” Natsuno couldn’t believe what he was hearing, did Seshin bear witness to the same thing Natsuno had? “They’re all cold blooded…I’d sooner hammer a stake into every last one of them.” Natsuno looked at Seshin defiantly, waiting for whatever pathetic retort the monk could have with his argument. But calmly and collectively the monk said one simple statement.  
“Would you kill Tohru if he rose? Is he a coldblooded monster like the others?” Natsuno’s jaw dropped. He could barely manage a response. And his blood turned to ice.  
“But…that’s different! Tohru would never!” Natsuno was still trying to defend his ground, but he could feel his point slipping away beneath him.  
“That’s what I thought. It’s not so easy when it’s someone you care about. I don’t know about you, but I saw many former friends and loved ones in that group, I know that they would never do such horrible things unless life and limb were on the line. The fact of the matter is, we just don’t know what they are being forced to do…besides, I wouldn’t worry about Tohru rising up, hundreds of people have died over the past few months, and there were less than fifty of those poor souls outside of the clinic. Either they were hiding lots of vampires, or only one in a few rise to join them.”  
“Either way… the Tohru I once knew is gone….and I can’t fix it” Seshin looked upon the sad youth with pity.  
“Let me gather a few things, I want you to come with me to the abandoned temple in the mountains”  
“Seshin, no offense….but that sounds pretty sketchy, an older man leading a young teen into an abandoned building.” Natsuno was taken aback by Seishin’s proposal. But Seishn simply laughed at him.  
“Natsuno, I left my novel there. I figured we might go up there to talk. Maybe I would read it to you. I figured that you just needed a friend for a while”  
“Okay, that sounds even sketchier than before!” Natsuno begrudgingly accepted anyway and the two set out on the long path to the mountain temple. Brushing past pine trees, and listening to the howls of the wild dogs in the area. They walked for what seemed like hours until Natsuno spoke through the silence. “How much longer till we get there?”  
“That’s odd…” Seshin tipped his glasses  
“What’s odd?” Natsuno looked equally curious.   
“Well…the drugs in your tea should have kicked in by now…” Seshin said with a sly smile.  
“WHAT?!”   
“I was only joking, getting you back for earlier….oh hey, do you see that light in the distance? We’re almost there.”  
“Thank god…my legs are tired.” The two walked around the tight turns in the path and in to the old temple door. Natsuno panned around the room. The dust covered pews, and the stained glass windows that lined the walls, all seemed to resonate with Natsuno. He looked around the dimly lit arches and walked past the soft glow of a torch.  
“All of these people were martyrs right?....this seems kind of lonely.” Natsuno looked around boringly, uninterested in the building or its history. He merely spoke to break the silence.  
“You know, you aren’t the first person to tell me so…I wonder if she’ll visit tonight,” Seshin remembered how Sunako always visited him here frequently, though lately she had been coming less often.  
“So now what Seshin?” Natsuno said, growing irritated.  
“Let’s just talk. Tell me about Tohru, all of the good memories.”  
“What?”  
“Just trust me.”  
“Fine… even though I was kind of an unlikeable guy…. Tohru still seemed to, he was good. Plain and simple.” Natsuno started to grow a fond smile.  
‘go on, tell me more” Seshin laughed warmly.  
“well…we would sometimes stay over at his place…play video games, do that sort of thing…..i remember so clearly, he always wanted me to help him win the affection of the clinic nurse. I was so happy for him when they confessed…but that was that night…” Natsuno shuddered, the horrible memories started to creep back.  
“Tell me about other things.” The two talked like that for a long time. Natsuno shed tears for him a few times, and Seshin poured them more tea. Seshin’s method to coping with grief seemed to be working, and Natsuno was growing more open again…at least he was on the outside.  
“I guess that’s all the good stuff. You know…I actually do feel a little bit better”  
“Then maybe it’s time I read you my novel. It’s a bit of a thinking read, so it should distract you a bit. Be warned, this book is a bit sad.” Seshin picked up the old manuscript and began to read the authors note when Natsuno asked him a question.  
“What is this book about?”  
“Shiki. A man and his younger brother live in a peaceful village, though the older brother is cursed, doomed to walke the earth alone. Every pail of water he drew would turn to ash. Every seed he tried to sow would leave the ground baren. Only with the aid of his younger brother could he forge out a life. Though. This story is the tale of why he ultimately slaughtered the younger brother.” Seshin began reading, and the time passed. Natsuno despite his grief grew fascinated with his tale. The words jumped off of the page and Natsuno marveled in it. Finally the book hit an intermission and Natsuno had more than a few questions to ask Seshin.  
“So…why was the man forsaken by god? Before he killed his brother…it seemed like he hadn’t committed any grave sins.”  
“Innocent people suffer all the time. I think the beauty of his character is that he still tried to continue to serve his creator, even when only met with scorn. However, the younger brother curried favor. And used his blessings to aid the older.”  
“So why did he kill him?” Natsuno was desperate to find the answer to this book. Like Seshin said, the book was food for thought. And it did a good job of distracting Natsuno from his problems.  
“Well I think it was because-“ suddenly the two heard the door creak. The amber light gave way to shadow as its large bulk scraped across the floor. A small pale hand grasped its side, and some dust flew off of the knob. The rest of the body walked in. it was a small girl, with long dark purple hair that veered off into many locks and strands, and she had on a light pink frilly dress. Natsuno took one look at her, and realized who she was.  
“Mr. Muroi! I came to hear you read more of your book!” without missing a beat, Natsuno grabbed a broken board from the floor and leapt at her with a running charge.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tatsumi betrays sunako and she seeks refuge at the only place she knows, but natsuno isn't having any of it,

“Tatsumi! Do you have any idea what you have done?! What the hell were you thinking?!” Sunako was livid as she paced around the glamorous foyer of the kanemasa mansion. If any blood were flowing into her vampiric face then it would be as red as the flames of hell. For a rare moment the red in her sclera was showing, raging against her normally black lifeless eyes.  
“What….why does she have to bother me all the time?” Tatsumi said bitterly, gritting his teeth in anger.  
“Now the doctor, Mr. Muroi AND those two, who may I remind you, you never dealt with, know of our existence! You were supposed to get Masao to feed on the boy in secret, to fool the doctor into thinking he had died! Not sic our ranks on the clinic!” Sunako was still yelling at the top of her small little lungs, Tatsumi barely paid attention to her as he retorted in a bored manner.  
“What does it even matter if they know? The village is powerless to stop us. Considering we plan to kill every last member in it” Tatsumi had a sadistically smug grin on his face. Sunako however stood perplexed and hurt.  
“it….it’s not like I want too, but they would kill me without even thinking about it….Tatsumi is growing troublesome, I need to deal with him before he causes any more damage…. Tatsumi, I’m sorry, but you need to be punished……” Tatsumi crushed the glass of water he was holding as he turned angrily to Sunako. The pupils of his eyes were glowing red.  
“Exactly….who is going to punish me, usually I'm the one who doles out justice..” Tatsumi said defiantly. Sunako backed away as Tatsumi rose and walked to her in an intimidating fashion. He was telling the truth, Tatsumi was about six times larger than Sunako, and without a shred of body fat, if he wanted to, he could wring her neck with one hand. Sunako tried to regain her confidence, but it was to little effect.  
“T…the other shiki.” Sunako said, as she tried to maintain her commanding presence. She called for two shiki, and in a moment the vampires walked in the room.  
“Yes mistress?” they said. But the two had their eyes fixed on Tatsumi.  
“Prepare Tatsumi for punishment.” The two looked at each other nervously. But they begrudgingly walked towards him, heads held low.  
“Gentleman….don’t do something you will regret.” Tatsumi shot a defiant scowl to the other three vampires. The two new shiki backed away, much to sunako’s shock and anger.  
“What are you doing? That’s an order! Prep Tatsumi NOW!” the two didn’t move. Still with their heads held low in submission to the jinrou. “if you don’t then you can join him in punishment!”. Tatsumi started laughing hysterically, that same sadistic grin cracked across his face. He walked up to Sunako and grabbed her by the scruff, lifting her about four feet into the air. He leaned in closely, fangs drawn.  
“Punishment punishment…look Sunako. Do you see how they aren’t listening to you? Didn’t you notice when they came into the room, how their eyes locked on me, for MY approval? Don’t you wonder why they wouldn’t listen to you even with threat?” he continued to laugh sadistically.  
“What do you mean? I have absolute authority over them!” she tried to look defiant in the face of the jinrou, but she was shaking with fear.  
“You have about as much authority as a tomato……the only reason anyone ever listened to a thing you said, is because they knew if they refused you, that I would be waiting to deal with them….but you know what? I think I’m tired of playing these games!” tears started to drip from Sunako’s dark eyes.  
“Why are you betraying me like this?” she said meekly.  
“pfft! I haven’t served you in a long time, not since you started growing soft. Remember when you questioned me about this whole village idea? The morality of it? I only encouraged you keep up the plan because I was bored. Nothing more. You could have stopped the slaughter at any time, and I would have just moved on to some other project. But since little Sunako always gets what she wants, I knew you would never quit…..and frankly I plan to continue, this little game has gotten so far along that it would be a crying shame to leave it unfinished.” Tatsumi couldn’t stop laughing; he never expected to turn on Sunako so soon. He couldn’t contain the sadistic pleasure of deposing someone, breaking their pride, and shattering their dreams. Such things brought him immeasurable bliss. Sunako was sobbing as she tried to find the words to respond to him with.  
“These are lives we’re altering…and you think it’s just a game?!” Tatsumi grew angry when Sunako tried to talk down to him. And without a second thought, gave her a hard punch in her gut. She coughed up a bit of blood, and her eyes glazed over from the pain.  
“You hypocrite! Boo hoo. We’re playing with lives, that didn’t seem to bother you when it stood in the way of what YOU wanted, but now that you sit here helpless you lament the very idea. You are truly a piece of work….you might be a hundred years older than me….but you are still such a naïve child. You know what? Maybe I should punish you.” Tatsumi threw her as hard as he could into the wall. It cracked and shattered the plaster and the delicate ornamentation that adorned the mansion. A bit of rubble even fell from the ceiling. “Boys…..i order you to prepare Sunako for punishment” he said in a devilishly ironic way. The two shiki advanced towards Sunako, still dazed and healing from her injury. One of them grabbed her wrist violently.  
“This is for killing our families” the vampire said through gritted teeth. He held her wrist angrily and tightly.  
“No!” she screamed as she bit the wrist. She kicked the larger vampire in the shin and made a run for it, they were about to give chase when Tatsumi put a hand up.  
“Leave her be, she won’t get far. If the daylight doesn’t get her, the wild dogs will….sorry Sunako, but I guess that’s just how the cards fell.” Tatsumi beamed gleefully, marveling at the chaos he created.  
Sunako ran as fast as she could out of the kanemasa mansion and through the thicket of woods. Brushing thorn bushes aside as she ran frantically for her life.  
“How could this have happened?” Sunako was panting as she scraped through all manner of forest debris. Each scrape and cut the thorns gave her healed in an instant, leaving only a tear in her dress to signal their existence. “This wasn’t supposed to be this way! Things were going so smoothly! I was only going to give Tatsumi a slap on the wrist, just to let him know that he needed to get serious! Why did he do this?!” Sunako was still crying as she raced through the thick undergrowth. Suddenly she came upon a clearing. She noticed a woman with long blue hair sitting on a rock sobbing. The woman didn’t notice her however, so Sunako crept closer out of morbid curiosity. “Nao? What she doing? I don’t think she knows what has happened yet.” Sunako reassured herself, and tried to put on her commander act as she approached the crestfallen vampire. “Nao? What’s wrong?” she said sweetly.  
“Don’t worry about it…” she said fearfully, Sunako would normally snap at weakness.  
“Nao…I won’t punish you or chastise you for what you need to say…I can’t even do it anymore….” She stroked her hair softly.  
“It’s my family…..i’ve already killed my husband, and he never rose up! Now it’s the last time I can feed on my son before he’ll die too! What if susumu doesn’’t rise. I don’t want to be alone like this!” nao kept sobbing and crying…and it caused Sunako immense grief as well. she was only just getting a taste of what most of the shiki truly felt for her. And had never known what hatred and vitriol they might harbor to her, especially since she was forcing them to kill. She even started a lie that shiki have to kill to survive, that they can’t just switch victims once one gets too sickly, it was Tatsumi’s idea to help keep the new blood in line. But since Sunako wasn’t in the picture anymore, she decided to help the poor woman.  
“Don’t feed on your son anymore, or anyone else in your family.” Sunako said that hesitantly.  
“What? But it’s not like we can just switch targets! They’ll die of anemia anyway!” Sunako took a deep breath, rare for her, and began to tell Nao a sliver of the truth.  
“that was just a lie Tatsumi told all of the fresh shiki to keep them in line and to keep the goal moving forward….you only need to eat blood to live, you don’t actually have to kill anyone.” The look on Nao’s face was shattering. She fell to her knees and looked at Sunako with pleading eyes.  
“But….my husband…..mikiyasu…..you made me kill him for nothing?” Nao couldn’t even comprehend the turmoil in her brain as she just sat motionless in shock.  
“I can’t excuse what I’ve done….tatsumi was right….i am a hypocrite, defaulting on my principles as soon as the cards go sour, I deserve whatever comes to me…..but that’s why I’m making you stop……tell the other shiki, just don’t let Tatsumi get wind of it.” Nao was still sitting dumbstruck.  
“What if the other shiki go after my family?” she said, eyes half glazed from grief.  
“At least you weren’t the one to kill them then…..you could always try protecting the rest of them, you still have access to the house….do whatever you want, I wash my hands of this…and I’ll wreck Tatsumi’s plans while I’m at it” Sunako turned away from the emotional wrecking ball that she dropped on the despondent wampiress, and walked off without another word. Sunako trekked through the thick forest for another hour before she started thinking to herself.  
“I wonder if mr. Muroi is at his temple….maybe he’ll read to me again.” She changed direction to the temple, hoping that she might still salvage such a small comfort. The thought brought more tears to her eyes as she walked frightened through the woods. Dodging the woulds and noises of the animals. Animals were always aggressive to shiki at first. They could be tamed to obey, but it was incredibly difficult….jinrou on the other hand, had an almost commanding presence, dogs would bow their heads and obey any order without fail, and lesser animals would clear a path for their every step. Sunako had no idea that the situation could go so sourly for her so quickly, her life and dreams shattered in the blink of an eye. She walked over the hill and saw the faint light of the old temple in the distance. Its amber glow cut through the pitch black night. Sunako tried as best as she could to act like a little girl again as she stepped through the temple doors.  
“Hi Mr. Muroi! I was wondering if you would read to me again today!” she said as sweetly as she possibly could. She noticed that there were two people in the temple today, one was her favorite monk…and the other “he’s that boy who visited the mansion on the day we moved in…..he was also at the clinic…..” as soon as she made eye contact with Natsuno she could see the fury grow in his eyes. She didn’t know what to expect as he started walking towards her, his lips twisted into a snarl. Natsuno picked up an old rotting plank of wood from the floor and started to charge at Sunako.  
“Wait!” she screamed as Natsuno tried to impale her with the jagged end, but the small vampire was too quick for him, and in a knee jerk reaction stepped to the side, causing Natsuno to lose his balance as he missed the strike. She drew her fangs and sank them into his arm in a fit of pure instinct, vampiric self-defense mechanism taking over…..but she couldn’t suppress her desire to feed, and unintentionally started drawing his blood, the pit in her stomach curled as she realized she accidentaly revealed her true nature to the jr monk sitting dumbstruck a few feet away. Natsuno was still blinded with rage, and in a desperate attempt to free himself, he started beating her head with the plank. It was to little effect she clamped down tighter and tighter with every blow, even though her face was growing bruised and bloody, her feeding instinct was so strong that it numbed any pain she may have felt  
“Get off! Get off! Get…..get…..off” Natsuno was starting to lose strength, his whole body felt like it was growing colder as Sunako finally let go of her hold. She lamented her mistake as her eyes grew wide and teary. She had to sit down and back up a few paces from Natsuno who was trying to stand again. With what little of his remaining strength he had, he picked up the plank again and tried walking towards her, he gave a pathetic attempt at a swing, barely missing her before he collapsed on the ground. She looked at Seshin, who had now rushed over to natsunos aid. The look on his face was pure unadulterated shock. Tears kept pouring from her eyes as she tried to form the words to explain what she had done.  
“I….I…..you saw him charging! I didn’t have any choice!” Sunako cried meekly. Holding her head in shame, trying as hard as she could not to face the monk.  
“you’re one of those creatures?” it was the only thing Seshin could muster up the courage to say “what did you do to Natsuno?!”   
“The bite was only in self-defense, to get him to calm down……but then” Sunako relived her memories of the shiki feeding instinct taking over. It was a pain more intense than any a human could understand, if a shiki went too long without drinking blood in some form, then the vampiric side of their psyche would take hold causing them to lash out and try to feed on anything they could. Sunako was the oldest shiki in the village, and she had all but mastered her ability to suppress it. But when she could taste such young fresh blood on her lips, even she was powerless to control her desires. “The hunger…..its so strong! I couldn’t help it!” she started sobbing hysterically and Seishin couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity for the vampire girl.  
“Natsuno…..will Natsuno be okay?” Seshin asked, concerned as he cleaned up the boy’s injury. Sunako tried to respond through broken sobs.  
“From one feeding? Yes, he’ll be just fine….two or three more will kill him though…” Sunako was still sobbing like a child  
“Natsuno only has three days to live then? You guys have to kill people to live right!” Sunako started crying even harder when she realized that she might have to reveal the true nature of her ideas and plans to the junior monk.  
“We have to eat blood to live, sure…but there isn’t some special force that commands us to feed until the victim is drained, we can switch targets if we so desire……we just propagate that lie to the new shiki so they will do as we tell them……” Seshin felt a knot in his stomach as the vampire tried to plead her case.  
“All the deaths….they didn’t have to happen at all?!” Seshin could feel a surge of true anger welling up. “You….you monsters…why have you killed so many people then?” Seshin tried to ask, holding back the torrent of chaos he was feeling.  
‘we wanted to make a home for us…..shiki technically don’t have to kill people, but most still do it anyway…after all, humans wouldn’t even give us a chance…case and point” she looked over to Natsuno. “The older vampires like myself have grown bitter over many years, I guess one day I just snapped….we still have feelings and desires, just like normal people!” Natsuno regained enough lucidity to understand that last sentence, but Seshin held him down out of fear that he might lash out and grow dangerous again.  
“You…you guys killed Tohru…for no reason?” Natsuno tried to muster up the strength to break free from the junior monk, but sunako’s feeding left him too weak to move at the moment.  
“Why are you telling us this?” Seshin said still trying to fully realize the full impact of the situation. And Sunako had regained enough composure to stop crying. But she was still shaking with fear.  
“Because I can’t control it anymore….i had considered stopping the plan, but Tatsumi wants to eradicate the village anyway. …I’m not in charge……I thought I was, but I guess it wasn’t the case.” Sunako said, the very mention of Tatsumi’s name sent a chill down Natsuno’s spine.  
“We have to stop them!” Seshin said defiantly.  
“No! Don’t hurt the other vampires….they are all just following orders. They’ve been misled and manipulated into doing what we…..he…….tells them to do. They can’t be held responsible…” Natsuno heard what she was saying and snorted in disgust.  
“Bullshit….tell that to all of the people they’ve hurt!” Natsuno still struggled to break free of the monk’s solid grasp but he was still too weak.  
“I understand how you feel, and you have a right to….but please….please don’t kill my precious family!” Sunako started to sob again, and even Natsuno couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity amongst the disgust and hatred he had for the small vampire.  
“This……this is too much….i don’t even know what to think right now…is what she saying true?......we can deal with this later….. i…suppose I can let you stay in this church to hide from Tatsumi…..but if you kill anyone from this point forward, then I’ll have no choice but to let Natsuno deal with you……because I still wouldn’t have the stomach for it...” Seshin tried to laugh off that joke…but everyone could see his façade.  
“You just plan to trust her that easily?! What if this story is just some big lie so that Tatsumi can come in and kill us both?! I can’t believe you Seshin! This girl is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people! And you’re really going to give her asylum here?! We should be impaling her on the roof steeple” Natsuno was still flailing in disgust, his strength slowly returning to him.  
“I can’t explain why I trust her…..it’s because I’m too weak to hurt anyone, even if their crimes are as heinous as this…. But please…she does have a point about the other shiki…they aren’t to blame…just don’t tell anyone…” Sunako locked eyes with Natsuno.  
“I can hypnotize him, and make sure he keeps quiet… he won’t be breaking free of that hold any time soon.” she said bitterly.  
“No…that won’t be necessary.. Natsuno, sunako, I want you both to take it in good faith that neither of you will do anything more to hurt the other…it would probably be best for her to do that…but then again, it might be equally as good if Natsuno stakes her….” Seshin sighed.  
“I’ll never trust that….bitch…but since you won’t let me leave unless I cooperate….I’ll stop trying to kill her….but if she tries anything else” Natsuno looked Sunako dead in the eyes…..”I won’t hesitate”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> natsuno tries to reconcile with megumi and offer her some form of protection vrom the vampires, but she may not be so forgiving.

Seshin kept a close distance behind Natsuno as they walked the path back to his home. After the incident with Sunako, Natsuno had lost a fair portion of his strength. So when the forest path grew too rough he couldn’t keep his balance. Though he was stumbling anyway, and his vision was blurry.  
“Seshin…why would you give her shelter…..you know what she’s done….what she’s caused.” Natsuno turned his head slowly to face the junior monk. Seshin couldn’t bring himself to meet his gaze.  
“When it comes down to it….i guess I just don’t want to harm anyone…no matter how horrible they are.” Seshin spoke solemnly, he regretted letting Sunako make shelter from the old church, but surely he would have regretted it more if he let Natsuno destroy her. When Natsuno heard the response he only grew angry, were he not in such a weakened state, he likely would have thrown a punch at the monk.  
“You don’t want to hurt anyone…do you mind explaining why you put me in that hold then?!” Seshin let out a small gasp in surprise. Natsuno nearly fell over after that outburst, but luckily Seshin managed to catch him and restore balance to the stumbling teen.   
“….i guess when trying to save someone else, I end up hurting someone who matters more in the process…..maybe I’m cursed…haha” Seshin tried to laugh the joke off but Natsuno wasn’t having any of it.  
“It doesn’t matter I guess….what am I going to do about the vampires though….” Seshin’s curiosity was piqued.  
“What do you mean?”  
“Tatsumi knows that Megumi and I know what they are up to…it’s only a matter of time before he hunts us down and kills us like animals….” Seshin grabbed the young man’s shoulder and looked into his eyes with a determined stare.  
“Natsuno…I promise you…I won’t let either of you get hurt. Here…take this.” Seshin dug around in his robe for a moment and pulled out two small charms. He gently placed them in the palm of Natsuno’s hand.  
“What the hell are these?” Natsuno asked defiantly.  
“These charms are powerful symbols in the temple…we only have a few. I want you to give the other to Megumi.” Seshin tried to stay strong for Natsuno’s sake, but in the back of his mind he knew Natsuno had a fair point.  
“You know I don’t believe in your religion right?” Natsuno said boredly.  
“…lately I’m starting to doubt it as well….whether or not the religion itself is true…they seem to be deterred by artifacts like this…..think about it, no one at the temple has been attacked. And since there are only a few small buildings, it would be an easy matter for the vampires to raid it like they did the clinic…but yet they stay away.” Seshin said, he was sure that that was the case, but there was still the underlying fear that he could be wrong…and that gnawed at him.   
“It’s better than nothing….i guess they have to be invited in anyway…I better tell Megumi not to walk around at night when I give this to her….and beg for her forgiveness while I’m at it” the two finished their trip in silence, Seshin escorted Natsuno home. Natsuno’s father opened the door with a stern look on his face.  
“Why is he home so late again? I’ve told you before I don’t like him hanging around the temple.” Mr. Yuuki stared down Seshin with frigid intensity.  
“I’m so sorry…Natsuno is an asset! He wants to keep doing this volunteer work so he can put it on college applications, I’ve tried to turn him down several times, but he’s so insistent…and the work he does is so flawless, I just can’t refuse....but Natsuno…you do need to take a break, you’re starting to get weak.” Seshin put his hands together and gave a slight bow to Mr. Yuuki. Natsuno looked up at his father and forced a smile, despite his condition.  
“Come on dad, it’s better that I’m helping people rather than studying isn’t it?” Mr. Yuuki looked defeated for a moment.  
“I guess you have a point…I just wish you could help in a less….spiritual way…..whatever son….come on in and get some sleep.” Mr. Yuuki smiled and shook Seshin’s hand. Natsuno walked into the brightly lit house, a sharp contrast to the soft light of the old church. He covered his eyes a little.  
“I’m glad that lie keeps fooling them with that lie….” Natsuno plopped his bag on the bed, and hung the charm in the window. He put the other in his pocket and rubbed his eyes “giving this to her is gonna be one hell of a challenge…she won’t even look at me anymore...why do I feel so bad about it…..maybe I really do love her…”  
*taptaptap*   
Natsuno shot up instantly, his blood turned to ice and goosebumps were growing all over his body. ”Wait…they can’t come in unless invited right?…I guess I’m safe then” the tapping persisted like usual. But Natsuno was far too weak to pay attention to it. Without another thought, he fell asleep on the bed.  
Night passed without incident and Natsuno clambered out of bed late next morning. He struggled to get his balance, the room seemed to spin around him, and the bright lights bothered his eyes. He sluggishly made his way to his dresser. With much difficulty he managed to change clothes.  
“man….maybe I should call Ozaki….that little girl could be a problem…..and I need help with this anemia….no, that might be a bad idea….he’s liable to experiment on me like Tohru.” Natsuno had to hold the rim of the hallway to make it to the living area of his home. His mother was chopping vegetables loudly in the far corner of the connected kitchen.  
“Hey mom? Will you cook me something?” Natsuno’s mother looked in his direction, concerned.  
“You never want breakfast, what’s wrong?” she threw the vegetables in the pan.  
“I’m just hungry today…anemia will do that to you I guess…”  
“It’s from all of that time at the temple isn’t it” she abruptly stopped talking.  
“Y...yeah? What of it?” his mother turned sharply to him.  
“I don’t want you spending any more time there….those superstitions and beliefs are dangerous.” She said with fiery retort.  
“I’m not exactly a believer either…but you don’t have to be a dick about it….yeah…I understand.” Natsuno thanked her as she put a plate of food in front of him. It smelled delicious and warm.  
“I had your father get rid of that charm in your window while you were sleeping….don’t bring that stuff into our house, you should know better.” Natsuno got angry when she said that last part, but he had to bite his tongue, after all, the last thing he wanted to do was tell his parents about the vampires hunting him down…he could only imagine the things they would say. He fished around in his pocket and found the other charm.  
“At least I can still keep Megumi safe…..mom, I’m going out for the day” she turned to him and gave him a quick hug, before whispering in his ear.  
“I love you son….stay away from the temple.” With those last parting words, Natsuno gathered whatever he might need and headed in the direction of Megumi’s house. After a long walk in the fall weather he spied it in the distance. He stood about fifty feet from its threshold, with a deep breath he walked closer, unsure of what to expect. Another few steps, and he rang the doorbell.  
‘Hey…Megumi? Are you home? Its Natsuno…we need to talk.” Within a moment the door swung fully open, a large man with short hair stepped into the door frame. Natsuno looked at him for a split second before he felt himself flying backwards, a sharp pain in his jaw. The next thing he realized was that he was sprawled out on the ground gasping for air, Mr. shimizu had hid him nearly as hard as Tatsumi had.   
“You little shit! Do you have any idea what you did to my daughter? She won’t leave her room, and hardly eats anything, not to mention the fact that she barely speaks anymore! And that’s only in between the hysteric sobs!” Natsuno tried to get up from the daze, and wiped away the blood that was pooling on his nose, but could only find the strength to lean upwards as Mr. shmizu rushed him again, this time only stopped by his wife, though both were giving Natsuno bitter looks. “You need to get out of here before I really hurt you!” Natsuno spat out a bit of blood before responding.  
“Please…I need to talk to Megumi…..at least to apologize, or something!” Natsuno struggled with the words.  
“You’ve done enough kid!” Megumi peeked her head meekly around the frame of the door.  
“What’s going on dad? Why are you yelling?” there were bags under her eyes, and her cheeks were red. She had seemed to have stopped styling her hair, so lucks veered and frizzed all over the place. She wasn’t even dressing like usual, only wearing an old night robe as opposed to her usual flamboyant attire.  
“go back inside…daddy’s got this under control” he said as he gave Natsuno a chilling stare, but Natsuno moved his head around Mr. shimizu and began to plead with Megumi.  
“Megumi! You have to listen to me! I didn’t mean what I said a few days ago!” Natsuno was teary eyed “all I know is that they might still be coming for us! Don’t walk outside at night…Also…they can’t come in if you don’t let them!”  
“What the hell are you talking about?!” Mr. shimizu was still very clueless about the vampires. He sighed with relief when he realized Megumi hadn’t told her father about what really happened. Natsuno managed to stand on both of his feet again. He was off balance, and there was a trail of blood on the left side of his mouth.  
“look...Seshin gave me two of these, my parents threw mine away, but I still want you to have this last one….its apparently a charm that will protect you from…you know….” Natsuno sidestepped Mr. shimizu and tossed the charm to Megumi. She missed the catch and bent over to pick it up from the floor. “please…I can’t hope to ask for your forgiveness….just stay safe” after Natsuno’s last pleading words Megumi turned and left, charm in hand, without a word to Natsuno. He had hoped for some sort of parting retort, but was left wanting.  
“Are you done disturbing my family? Get the hell out of here before I call the police!” Mr. shimizu angrily slammed his fist into the wall. With that Natsuno turned tail and ran.

Megumi solemnly walked back into her room. She lifted up the small silver charm Natsuno seemed to be so eager to give her. “Will this really keep me safe?” Without another thought she tossed it on her desk. It moved the some of her school notes a little, revealing a little sliver of paper. She walked over and pulled it out.  
“This card…to think I was so eager to give this to that stupid jerk…..not to mention all the time I spent revising it, and re-writing it” she looked upon the postcard fondly. A few tears started to drip onto the piece of paper. Lumps were forming in her throat as a nostalgic smile crept across her face. But quickly she shook her head, and reassured herself that Natsuno didn’t deserve her sympathy. Though that had minimal success. “I guess I shouldn’t hate him…..after all, if he hadn’t gotten to me when he did….who knows what that freak would have done to me.” A small shiver crept up her spine as she remembered how Masao was very nearly about to force himself on her….she didn’t know if vampires could do the deed but she wasn’t in a hurry to find out first hand, especially at the hands of someone like Masao.  
“Maybe I should try talking to him…in a few days….”  
Natsuno paced around the village for the rest of the day. He wasn’t eager to return home, who knows if Megumi’s unstable father had said something to Natsuno’s own. He wasn’t in a hurry to hear his parents give him some long winded lecture, or worse. The heat dragged on, and Natsuno had to rest frequently. The incident the night before had left him weakened even still. During the hottest part of the day, when the sun was directly overhead and its intense light bathed the village, Natsuno found himself half asleep on a bench in the town square.  
“What am I supposed to do…these things are hell bent on taking over the entire village….that little girl said the same thing…maybe I should tell Ozaki about it…but…what if they are just being led along? Would it be right to purge all of them just because of the direction of a few?” Natsuno sat on that bench for several hours. People walking by would click their tongues at him from time to time, and there was the occasional odd whisper about Natsuno, but it didn’t bother him. Time and space seemed to blend together. People continued to walk by, but they all just seemed to blend together into one giant blur to Natsuno. That’s what his whole life in sotoba had been at this point….a giant blur, with only Tohru and Megumi to distract him from the deafening white noise that relentlessly nipped at his psyche at every opportunity. Now that Tohru was gone….life became so grey, not to mention Megumi held nothing but contempt for him. Once he would have considered that a blessing, but now it just made him feel hollow and depressed. He truly dreaded the village… He could always just take Megumi and flee….but for some reason he didn’t want to abandon the village, even despite the scorn its people showed him and the company he kept, that and Megumi certainly wouldn’t leave with him now.  
Natsuno snapped out of his daze after several hours. The sun was low in the sky and night would arrive shortly. Within a moment he realized the gravity of his situation.  
“I need to get home! Every vampire in the village has me in their sights….im a dead man if I’m caught after dusk!” Natsuno tried his best to make a running sprint home, though his intense fatigue left him moving little faster than a strambling jog. By the time he saw his house in the distance the moon was already starting to rise, with a final burst of energy he made it to the window outside of his room.  
“I really need to start locking this…” Natsuno popped the screen out and tried to hoist himself into his room. It was a strain, but he eventually managed to step into it. As quietly as he could he made his way to his bed. He spread out his things. Then he walked over to the small wastebasket next to his desk. He had hoped his father had simply tossed it in that trashcan without thinking, so Natsuno began rooting through it. He found several scraps of paper, and a few empty bags of chips…but no charm.  
“Damn…no luck…It’s late...i should get to sleep.”   
The first few hours of the night passed without incident. A stiff breeze would cause a tree branch to scrape the house every once in a while, and the occasional floorboard would creak, but those noises were typical of a country house. Natsuno had long since gotten used to them. Suddenly Natsuno heard a gentle tapping on the window. It caused a knee jerk fear reaction…but only for a split second. Natsuno quickly realized that they weren’t able to come in, just like he had the night before. He took a look at the window and saw a faint shadow standing just beyond.  
“Try all you want but I’m not letting you in. Go feed on someone else.” Natsuno spoke to the vampire just beyond the window with a bitter arrogance. For some reason he enjoyed the feeling of security, and that whatever was on the other side of the window couldn’t get to him, no matter how hard they tried. A cocky smile crept across his face for a split second, but Natsuno bit it back.  
“Natsuno…it’s me.” Natsuno’s jaw dropped when he heard that familiar voice. All of his false bravado left him and he couldn’t even force himself to move….save to shake with fear.  
“T-Tohru?”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> natsuno and megumi finalyl embrace, but how will the romanve end when tohru is forced to make a painful decision

**YES! THE HIATUS IS OVER! I WILL START UPDATING REVERSE NATURE REGULARLY AGAIN! WOO! anyway the reason i put this story on thebackburner was twofold. one, i had been job searching for a while and didnt have enough time to juggle multiple fanfics, and two, this story was growing a bit stale, but now that my life has re stabilized i can prioritize mroe than one fanfiction at once again...also please be sure to read my other fic "to tempt fate" it is a good filler if reverse nature is the main fic you follow from me.**

"Tohru….. _it's probably best if I don't open the lock…"_ Natsuno had to stay his hand as he walked over to the window. A pair of red rings pierced through the curtain. Natsuno stepped back an inch when he noticed the menacing glow.

"Tohru? Is that you?" there was no response, but the silence was utterly deafening. Natsuno shouted at him. Yet still, no response. Even when he yelled at the top of his lungs the shadow just beyond his threshold didn't even flinch. The temptation finally won over Natsuno and he reluctantly unlatched the window lock. When he opened it he felt that familiar Sotoba breeze flow through him. He shuddered, the air was colder than usual. He stuck his arm just outside trying to feel out for the shadow. At once something strong gripped at his wrist, he struggled to break free of its grasp, he strained with all his might to pull back into the safety of his room when he felt his elbow pop, a burning pain ushered in by the sound. After a long moment of struggling Natsuno was finally able to free his arm. And in the haste of escape, he could see the face of his old friend. Pale and forlorn, but unmistakably Tohru. He thought he saw a single tear drop as the young shiki ran away from the scene.

"Tohru?" Natsuno whispered. A sense of urgency filled Natsuno and without another thought gathered a few supplies and bolted out of the window, even with the stamina shiki had, Tohru was still unable to match Natsuno's speed and the purple haired teen caught up with him in mere moments. The two ran through the thicket of brush, occasionally stumbling over dead tree roots of broken branches, but both keeping pace.

"Tohru! Come back!" he panted, Natsuno was the faster sprinter, but Tohru had more stamina…and in his condition, much more stamina.

"Just leave me alone! I could never face you like this! Not with all that I've done!" Natsuno felt a pang of guilt tear at his heart along with the fatigue.

"please stop! We have to talk! Please Tohru! For god's sake listen to me!" Natsuno continued to plead until he stumbled over a tree branch and fell face first into the forest floor. Tohru stopped and turned back.

"what is there to say….I've become a monster….what more could you possibly want to do with me?" he said grimly. Natsuno stood back up, rubbing the dirt from his face.

"Tohru….you aren't a monster." Natsuno said defiantly.

"Oh yeah? I have to kill to live, people are our food after all." Natsuno gripped his arm. He could feel a lump in his throat and he knew the news he was about to tell his dear friend might break his mind. But he took a deep breath.

"No….you don't have to kill people, if you stop feeding before they die of blood loss then they will live." He said stalwartly.

"If it were like that we wouldn't have to kill people at all! Some people are reluctant at first, and others just fear being punished, but once you learn you can kill without consequence it becomes easy." He said, tears began dripping from his eyes. "When you butcher a pig you don't do it by cutting off slices at a time! Its like that!" Natsuno clutched his stomach.

"no Tohru…..its not like that…..i talked with Sunako after Tatsumi exiled her….she told me that they only tell that to new vampires to keep them in line….you can eat as much blood as you want and you don't have to kill anyone, you just have to switch your target." Tohru stood silently for a moment. And in the next instant fell to the ground on his knees. For a brief second he couldn't even form thoughts…but when the horrible realization dawned… it broke him.

"So…..i…I had to kill people for no reason?" Tohru was almost in hysterics; even Natsuno's eyes began to water. "Why would they lie? Why would they lie to me?!" he screamed.

"Sunako wanted to make a vampire utopia… id imagine most people wouldn't take kindly to you even if you meant them no permanent harm…" Natsuno bit back a groan.

"But we really don't have to kill people? Then why do I get so hungry?" Natsuno looked at him curiously.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"its…its like a hundred times worse than what you might experience when your human….its so painful that murder seems like a small price to pay. Every night without fail if we refuse to eat then it consumes us and we attack the nearest person in sight… we don't mean to, but we cant help ourselves!" Natsuno stammered. He remembered Sunako acting on the same bloodied urge, he remembered how weak he felt as he relentlessly attacked her to pry her away, how ineffectual it was.

"Yeah….i know….but just because you can't control something doesn't make you a monster! Not in my eyes at least!" he walked closer to Tohru and put a hand on his shoulder. "your still my friend even if you are like this." Tohru recoiled away from the touch and moved a few feet away from him.

"Natsuno you need to leave! Your next on Tatsumi's hit list, you and Megumi both! You need to take her and get out of the village. But most importantly you need to get away from me….i refuse to feed for as long as I can. For as long as I can resist the urge." Tohru flinched and bore his fangs for a moment. "you need to leave before I turn on you!" Natsuno shouted back.

"I won't abandon you again!" Natsuno walked closer to Tohru yet again, but this time Tohru didn't shy away. All Natsuno saw in that next moment was a flashing pair of red eyes, and a set of ivory fangs plunging into his shoulder.

**The next afternoon.**

"Yuuki?" Natsuno heard a voice off in the distance. It was growing louder. "Yuuki! Wake up!"

"Calm down Megumi, we don't know how stable he is" he heard Seshin speak back to her. He slowly opened his eyes and say Megumi shouting indignantly at Seshin.

"shimizu….Seshin?" he asked in a hoarse whisper. Both of them turned to him with relieved smiles.

"Yuuki! Thank god your okay!" Megumi wailed as she threw her head into his chest." He looked over to Seshin.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"I was walking to check up on you this morning when I found you passed out in the woods, I slipped you back into your bed through the window." Natsuno groaned with pain, Megumi held him tighter.

"So I see you called Megumi instead of doctor Ozaki…" Natsuno looked over to the girl burying herself in his sheets, and snuggling up to him. Seshin gave her a derisive look, and then turned his attention to Natsuno.

"Natsuno…you saw how Ozaki was acting when…..when the incident with Tohru happened…I think he's losing his grip…you and I both know why you feel like this". Megumi looked curiously at Seshin.

"Why what's wrong with my Yuuki?" she pleaded.

"Nothing, nothing, he just had low blood sugar. He told me when we were talking after Tohru's funeral." She sighed, obviously not believing what Seshin had to say.

"It's them isn't it…." She said solemnly.

"It's nothing Megumi….just a one off because someone lost it…. _two off…..tohru did it too…"_ she looked at him. Concern burning in her eyes.

"They killed Tohru and now they have their sights set on you…. well I won't let them hurt you!" she said defiantly.

"Relax Megumi…I know one of them personally, they aren't all evil or anything like that, she just lost her senses for a moment. Natsuno will be fine in a few days…." He pushed up his glasses.

" _I wonder if Seshin suspects Tohru too? Will he be back tonight…_ where are my parents anyway?" he asked Seshin, barely able to focus through the anemia induced fatigue.

"there was a note on the door… it said they were leaving for the day so your father could buy art supplies in the next town over, they should be back late tonight."

"Good…it's probably best they aren't here. They would probably freak out seeing you….and seeing me like this…" he smiled weakly.

"Here is another one of those charms Natsuno…I know how your father can be. I just hope it keeps you safe….anyway I have to get going, Megumi you need to be sure to head home too." He walked out in a hurry leaving the two alone together.

"Hey Megumi…." He said somberly. She looked at him with a mixture of infatuation and concern.

"What is it?" Natsuno looked away from her strikingly beautiful eyes.

"I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry. When Tohru was killed I was in such a crazy state of mind and I ended up snapping at you for no reason…..i must have made you feel so horrible…..i can't begin to ask your forgiveness." He wiped a tear away from her eye. She leaned in more closely.

"i…..understand how you feel…if I wasn't so helpless when that freak was attacking me then I wouldn't have been a problem at all…I'm just a liability." Natsuno felt another lump in his throat, he was wondering just how much guilt he was going to burn through in the next few days.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel like that…..megumi, your all I have left….i know we started off shakily, but I think I've really come to love you. I want to make sure that above anything you stay safe. I don't want you ending up like Tohru…" Megumi blushed a deep shade of red when Natsuno confessed to her. The two leaned in and kissed. And kissed again. In an instant Natsuno and Megumi were swept up in the most intense passion that either had ever felt. They kissed a third time, and then Megumi climbed on top of Natsuno,

"Hey Megumi wha-"she stopped him. The kissing turned passionate….and finally, the two embraced.

**A few hours later.**

Natsuno awoke in a daze. Megumi was lying next to him and for a brief moment he couldn't remember what had happened. In that bliss of wake he barely remembered the passion the two shared together. He gently stroked her side and then turned the other way. Once he noticed the window he grew anxious. he was slow to move because of the blood loss that was two thirds to fatal levels but when he noticed the twilight and the sun dipping down past the mountains he turned to Megumi as fast as he could.

"Megumi….wake up…" she turned on her side to face him and smiled as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey Yuuki..." she gently kissed his forehead as she palmed his cheeks.

"You need to get home." He said. Straining through the fatigue.

"What? Why?" she started to become concerned.

"It's almost dark…you know that they come out at night…. _HE will come out at night."_ She sighed.

"But I wanna stay with you." she smiled warmly.

"It would be nice…but if my parents come back and find a girl lying in bed with me then I have no idea what sort of hell that will bring. Not to mention your insane father would castrate me and place my head on a pike." She pouted for a moment but finally agreed with him. She spent the next few minutes stretching and retrieving the clothing that had scattered all over Natsuno's floor. Once she finished putting them back on the walked over to Natsuno and kissed him again.

"Yuuki…..please…please stay safe for me, your all I have too." He smiled as she walked away.

" _It's only a matter of time now….but since Megumi will be safe I guess its okay…and I suppose I just scratched something off of my bucket list….if I even had one."_ Natsuno drifted back to sleep when he lost himself in thought.

**Later that night**

That incessant tapping started again. It woke Natsuno with a chill and he instantly knew what was happening. He looked over to the window. Instead of a shadow, it was just Tohru. He wasn't trying to hide himself. He was just standing quietly...patiently…tapping at his window.

"Hey…..can I come in?" he asked.

"Yeah….im not at liberty to refuse you right?" Tohru looked away guiltily.

"I never hypnotized you…." he said meekly as he climbed over the threshold.

"Sorry for assuming…" Natsuno said, equally as pained.

"I guess at this point it doesn't matter." He advanced to Natsuno's position.

"You know, you don't have to kill me Tohru….cant you just walk away?" he asked quietly.

"I wish I could….but even if what you said is true yesterday…Tatsumi would just make someone else do it…or worse he would do it himself…and he would make sure it hurt…." Tohru began to cry again, the tears started to drip onto Natsuno.

" _Cold tears….the tears of a vampire_ …we could always just run away. You me and Megumi….we could just forget this place" the two shared a laugh.

"You and I both know its not that simple…..i'd have to carry you at this point, and Tatsumi would catch us for sure." Natsuno smirked.

"I know Tohru… I guess all I can ask is that you make sure Megumi stays safe….can you grant me that request? Can you make sure no one attacks her after I'm gone?" Tohru looked away guiltily.

"I'll try…..i'll do the best that I can…" Natsuno smiled warmly at him

"That will have to do I guess…." Natsuno looked away as Tohru drew his fangs. Natsuno felt the familiar icy chill as they penetrated his neck. As he felt the last of his blood draining away he whispered something into Tohru's ear.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you."….

**a lot of stuff happened in this chapter but i wanted to make sure i returned this story in grand slam style, i havent even told my beta reader that im posting this chap just because i want the surprize to be pleasent for everybody! anyway, please for gods sake leave a review or a comment, or even just pm me with any compliments concerns or otherwise! wew, glad to be back**


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> megumi takes out her grief on tohru, and natsuno realizes what it truly means to be a jinrou

**hey guys, sorry for a bit of a lag in updating, but i do upload every week, not neccesarily reverse nature, but sometimes to temopt fate, my other story, im also working on a shikis story with salt the catgirl called malpractice, where ozaki tortures megumi tohru masao and ritsuko like he did kyoko, and natsuno and tatsumi have shattered memories**

Megumi knocked reluctantly on the door. She had seen Natsuno the day before and knew he was in a rough state, and what was more, had slept with him. His parents might not be fond of her just dropping by, then again they probably didn't know she had been there, or Seshin for that matter.

" _I just hope I didn't leave anything behind….a stocking, or even a long piece of pink hair might give me away."_  She knocked on the door again, harder this time. No response. She waited a few minutes. No response. She started to grow worried and began to pound the door violently.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" she asked above the flurry of knocks. After what seemed like hours the door finally creaked open, Megumi took one look at the man before her and slid back. It was Mr. Yuuki. But he looked different. There was an absent look in his eyes, and they seemed to stare off into nothing. Moreover his hair was a mess, and it seemed to lack color as did his face. He stared down dreadfully at Megumi, and with a few haunting words, Megumi could feel a chill slither down her back.

"Go home" he said quietly and with no emotion. Megumi shivered when she heard his raspy voice.

"Can I see Natsuno?" she asked timidly, brushing aside one of her pigtails. She would have puckered her lips, but didn't want to smudge the dark red lipstick she had put on before the trip.

"Natsuno is dead…..the funeral service had his body cremated this morning." Yuuki said as he shut the door.

For a moment Megumi couldn't even think. And when she broke the shock, her first thought was that Mr. Yuuki was playing a joke. She couldn't even feel herself doing so, but she walked absentmindedly to Natsuno's bedroom. If anyone could have seen her face they would have assumed she had seen something horrible, or had experienced something that buried her so far in shock that all she could feel was a hollow bitter emptiness. Each step was heavier than the last, and once she neared Natsuno's window, her feet seemed to weigh as much as boulders. She peered over the threshold at the still parted curtains and saw a neatly made room with no Natsuno in sight.

" _n-no…..he's not gone…he can't be….ha-ha"_ she laughed nervously…."I'm gonna stand out here like I always used to and see him waltz in, tired from the day…..ill hop in and we can get on with our lives like usual" she said, holding back a river of tears. And so she waited. What seemed like hours of nothing came and went, with Mr. Yuuki almost neurotically cleaning the room between intervals. Megumi tried her hardest to stay strong. But her efforts were in vain and she broke down. She started to pound on the windows even when her clothes were stained by tears.

"NO! I refuse to believe it! Yuuki is fine! He is! He'll come home and we can be happy together! He's not dead! He's not dead! He's not…" she said as she slunk to the ground on her knees, still weakly pounding the window. Suddenly a surge of anger boiled in her. The blood vessels in her eyes expanded, and they grew red with rage.

"It was them…." She said quietly as she clenched a fist. "Those monsters killed my Yuuki!" she slammed her fist into the window so hard that the glass cracked. She pulled her now bloodied hand back away from the threshold and walked away from the house. She could feel the blind rage start to overwhelm her, and she knew what she needed to do.

**Several hours later**

Tohru strambled through the woods, choking on his misery. It was as if all of the purpose in life had finally died after he killed Natsuno and now the only thing left for him was pointless existence. He didn't even pay enough mind to move away from the trees, and simply slid by them after his shoulder hit them. He didn't seem to be avoiding anything really and even walked straight through thorn bushes.

" _These thorns…..is this…pain? Wow…..i guess I can still feel SOMETHING at least….."_ he let slip a defeated laugh as the thorns dug into his flesh and tattered his clothes. The wounds healed instantly, however the clothes did not, and the tears gave him an almost…haunted…look. The pale skin and glowing red irises didn't help dispel the notion. He kept pressing forward. He kept moving in that one same direction towards Natsuno's home. It was almost as if some unseen force was driving him to it. Some innate instinct….or perhaps just his overwhelming drive for redemption. He certainly blamed himself for what he did to Natsuno, and he assumed Natsuno blamed him as well.

" _He offered to help me escape…he didn't shy away from me even though he knew I was a monster…"_ Tohru could see the light from Natsuno's room a few yards away and mindlessly strolled up to it. " _He still thought I deserved happiness even in such a state…."_ Tohru knelt at his window as tears dripped to the ground…"and I killed him….." he said aloud. Suddenly he heard footsteps in the bushes behind him. He whipped his head around to see a broken Megumi, one look at her face and he could instantly understand the rage and surprise she was feeling. She looked straight at him…straight  **through**  him and Tohru shuddered when he met her icy gaze.

"You…..you killed Yuuki?" she said as she crooked her head to one side. Tohru tried to walk up to her but once he was within a few feet he felt a sharp pain in his face as he toppled to the ground. His vision blurred but he saw Megumi holding a large wooden post. She was holding it in both hands and Tohru could see his own blood staining the area she hit him with. "I knew you monsters killed Yuuki…but you?" She caved his head in with the second strike, and Tohru coughed up a pile of blood once his bones set back to normal. *whack* Megumi broke one of his legs at the knee with the beam Tohru tried slowly to back away from her, but she seemed to be waiting for him to heal.

"I've always hated you Tohru….but I never thought you could do something so low." *crack* she dislocated his jaw. Then hit his head again, twisting it at an unnatural angle. She waited for the paralysis to wear off, and for Tohru to heal before she hit him again. "You always take Yuuki from me." She said absently as she hit Tohru in the ribs.

" _This….this feels right….megumi….hit me more….i deserve this pain for what I've done…please redeem me for what I've done to Natsuno"_ Tohru thought. His vision was barely recovering, the strike to his head had blinded him, and those nerves were slow healing. Megumi readied one final strike; she held the sharp end just above Tohru's heart.

"The hell you go to is too good for you!" she said as she brought the stake down.

"Thank you…" Tohru heard himself mutter as Megumi lowered the stake. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing Natsuno in the afterlife.

**Earlier that morning**

Natsuno felt himself drifting into a black void. The silence was utterly deafening. Natsuno slowly opened his eyes and stared into the blackness.

" _So….this is what death is like? Huh…..more boring than I thought…I guess my parents were wrong about the no afterlife thing"_ he smiled snidely. Reveling in the thought. " _Too bad I won't get the chance to rub in in their faces"_ Natsuno could see a light open up above him, and it felt like every sin he'd ever committed, every negative act he'd experienced, was burnt away, leaving the blank slate of his soul to drift up towards it.

" _I feel so peaceful….this is utter euphoria, the only thing I can even closely relate it to was the feeling of knowing Megumi, or maybe being near Tohru…but…this is better….so much better…I'm tired….i can finally get some rest…..take me"_ Natsuno closed his eyes and smiled, bathing in the euphoria of the afterlife…but he felt something dragging him. It was dragging him away from the perfect light and back to the earth " _what? No! Let me go! Let me go back to the light!"_

 _Suddenly_ Natsuno felt an overwhelming sense of purpose, something more intense than any feeling he had felt before, save the euphoria. And he knew that he couldn't go just yet.

" _What do I need to do?"_ He thought as he slowly drifted out of consciousness.

"Well what I'm saying Mr. Yuuki….is that Natsuno is still alive." Natsuno felt his eyes crack open. His vision was still blurry, but he could make out his father sitting in the chair he had been given, talking with someone in a suit.

"Stop playing these sick jokes on me! The ambulance pronounced him dead last night! He had no pulse and his body temperature was at 60 degrees! Rigamortis was already setting in! Natsuno is dead so stop fucking with me!" he shot out of the chair and looked like he was about to punch what Natsuno realized was a mortician.

"Wait…..dad…." Natsuno said groggily as he slowly sat up. Rubbing his head.

"See Mr. Yuuki? These kinds of mistakes happen all the time; Natsuno here might have just been in a deep shock" the mortician said matter of factly. Natsuno's father was as pale as a ghost. And he'd looked like he'd just seen one too.

"No way….this can't be happening!" Mr. Yuuki said.

"Be happy, your son is still alive, doesn't that fill you with joy? Not everyone gets a second chance like this you know." The mortician said as he shut the door. Instantly Mr. Yuuki walked over to Natsuno and threw his arms around him.

"Oh Natsuno!" Natsuno couldn't help noticing how sweet his father smelled.

"What happened dad?" he said, still very weak.

"I came home and saw you lying in your bed….i was going to wake you up to let you know we were back, but you wouldn't move, I tried shaking you, I pinched you and I even slapped you…but nothing worked, eventually I called an ambulance, but they pronounced you dead at the scene…they called that funeral service you saw."

" _So it wasn't a dream…"_ Natsuno felt a beam of sunlight press on his cheek, it felt hotter than usual, but nothing he couldn't withstand. Then Natsuno suddenly felt hungry.

"Dad…I need to use the restroom, give me a minute okay." Natsuno said as he strambled out of bed. But his father stopped him and caught hem before he walked off.

"Natsuno you shouldn't walk around, who knows how ill you might be!" Natsuno brushed his father aside and went into the bathroom anyway. He turned on the water and started splashing his face. Staring into his own eyes in the mirror. Then he started to think about how the vampires had done this to him and noticed his eyes flash red. He backed up in surprise and tripped over a stool in the corner.

"Are you okay in there Natsuno?" his father shouted. Natsuno noticed a shallow cut on his arm.

"Yeah, dad just had to move something to get some aspirin" he lied. He looked back at the cut and saw it heal itself. It slowly melded back together leaving nothing but the drops of blood. Natsuno almost chocked on his surprise as he held back a scream. He clambered back up to the mirror. And clawed at his face, again the scratches healed.

" _So…..i'm like Tatsumi then?"_ Natsuno looked more closely at his face in the mirror.

"Do I have fangs?" Natsuno saw that all of his teeth looked a bit sharper, but he couldn't seem to pop out fangs. He even dislocated his jaw in the attempt, but nothing. Suddenly then he felt hungry.

"Dad will you make me food?"

"Sure, whatever you want."

The two sat at the table and began to eat, Natsuno wolfed down his entire meal in a few moments, but it didn't satisfy him much. Sure he felt like he was eating, but it didn't make him very full. He asked his dad for more food. And then asked about his mother with a mouth full

"So, where is mom?" Natsuno's father had a look of sheer misery on his face.

"Your mom…..she left…..she said after you died she didn't have it in her to stay with me…" Natsuno set his spoon down.

"So just tell her I'm fine, I'm sure she'll come back." He said absently.

"I think this was coming for a long time…..i'm sorry Natsuno."

" _that woman was the reason we moved to this god forsaken shithole in the first place…..so I'm certainly not….dad always did whatever she wanted, even if I didn't want it, and she just had to move to this cute little village…dad didn't seem to want it, but she convinced him anyway, he was certainly a better sport, but then she has the gall to leave?..._ it can't be helped I guess" Natsuno said through gritted teeth.

"Anyway, we need to take you to doctor Ozaki, who knows what kind of medical miracle you just pulled through" Natsuno slammed his fist on the table.

"No way! I'm fine." He yelled.

"Sorry son, I gotta put my foot down on this one, you did almost die after all" Natsuno's father walked over to him and gave him a quick hug. Natsuno could smell that sweet scent again; his father stood looming over him. And Natsuno could only think about how hungry he was, he felt something in his jaw pop and snap into place.

" _so these must be my fangs…..maybe they only respond to hunger…or maybe I was just trying wrong….it's a bit like popping my knuckles, only in my mouth…."_ Natsuno stared away from his father, hoping he wouldn't see the hunger in his eyes.

"Son I know you don't like it, but I'm gonna have to call Ozaki, I'm sure he'll figure out what was wrong with you/" Natsuno's eyes grew wide and almost instinctively he buried his fangs deep into his father's neck.

"Natsu?!" Mr. Yuuki passed out from the shock as Natsuno finished his meal. Natsuno looked on in horror and disgust at what he had done.

"Sorry dad…maybe I can hypnotize him… wake up dad." And instantly his father woke up.

"What did you need from me son?"

"Don't call Ozaki…what's more, if anyone comes asking for me, tell them I died and was cremated" he said. Natsuno could feel an immeasurable power flowing within him from the blood he'd swallowed. "And keep the house clean for now."

"Sure" his father said, giving him a blank stare.

" _I should probably wait to see if Tohru comes back….what should I say to him?"_ And with that, Natsuno decided to wait in the forest nearby, he could hear all of the sounds in perfect clarity and he could even see farther off in the distance. For that matter he found he could jump twice as high run twice as fast and break thick tree branches with one arm. " _Wow…..this strength could come in handy…no wonder all of the vampires fear Tatsumi…I guess it's just a matter of waiting…."_ Natsuno found it boring and instead fell asleep.

"I always hated you Tohru!" Natsuno was jolted awake by a shrill cry from Megumi. He hopped down from his tree and peered at her from the bushes.

" _What is she doing to Tohru?"_ Natsuno recoiled in horror when he saw Megumi savagely beating him with the stake; he felt a pang of fear when he saw the tip.

"The hell you go to is too good for you!" she screamed as she slammed the stake down.

" _No!"_ swiftly Natsuno lurched from his position. He grabbed the arm Megumi was using to hold the stake.

"Megumi stop!" Natsuno yelled.

**anyway hope you liked, be sure to read to tempt fate and malpractice, and be sure to leave a review for reverse nature too**


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> natsuno megumi and tohru formulate a plan...but so does ozaki

**MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE, CONSIDER THIS CHAPTER MY GIFT TO YOU ALL I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT, PLESE BE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT/REVIEW ECT ECT.**  
"Megumi stop!" Natsuno screamed as he bolted over to her. He grabbed the arm holding the stake and had to hold her back from driving it into Tohru's chest. For a moment she didn't believe it. She was still trying her hardest to slam the stake into Tohru's chest, sending him back to the hell he came from. She pulled against Natsuno, still unaware of his presence and filled with an adrenaline fueled rage. Megumi tried pushing as hard as she could, almost as if her mind didn't allow her to comprehend her situation. But the look on Tohru's face was worth a thousand words.

"What? What gives?!" Megumi screeched. Tohru, still lying under her, could only stare on in shock.

"Natsuno?" he whispered. Megumi finally seemed to regain her sanity for she too turned around, slowly at first, but as she realized whose arms were wrapped around her, her jaw dropped and she donned the same flabbergasted look as Tohru.

"Yuuki? Is it really you?" she said as she caressed his cheek. Natsuno could smell her tears before he saw them drip down her cheeks. They were salty, bitter even. He scrunched his nose as the odor hit him. But as far as he could tell they were genuine. Natsuno stared into her eyes, then into Tohru's. But darted away quickly, a guilty look on his face.

"Yeah…it's really me…..or at least what's left of me." He said, though only Tohru noticed the red flash in his pupils.

"What's left of you? But your still here, you're not like Tohru" she said, making sure to put some malice at the end of her statement.

"Megumi….i did kill Natsuno, or at least I thought I did." Megumi looked at him with fiery rage as she raised the stake again, but Natsuno was quick to hold her back.

"But!" Natsuno said, straining against her bloodlust. "I rose up…I don't know why I'm not quite like Tohru though" Tohru looked at him, staring with the same guilt Natsuno had just shown them both a moment ago.

"I can explain that I think. You remember Tatsumi right? He has vampire powers like we do but he can go out in the daylight, not to mention he has senses vastly superior to standard human and shiki, also, the strength…before Sunako went missing she called these superior vampires jinrou. They can also sustain themselves on human food, though they will slowly waste away if they don't drink blood." Natsuno could feel a pit in his stomach. "I see the blood wasn't a problem…maybe now you can understand the hunger that drives us, and why we can't ever be trusted." Natsuno smirked.

"Sure, I lost control….but that doesn't mean I was **forced** to kill the person I fed from. There's no special force preventing me from changing my target. One feeding won't hurt anyone, and as long as I can keep finding new people to feed on, I won't have to hurt anyone." Tohru stared back at him.

"It doesn't work like that! You have to kill the people you bite. Tatsumi said so." Natsuno sighed and drew his fangs, plunging them into Megumi's arm. He only drew a small amount of blood from her, but began to issue her a command.

"Megumi I want you to only do things according to your own will" she rubbed her arm in pain.

"Why did you bite me Yuuki?!" she squealed. "That hurt!" Natsuno laughed.

"I just wanted to prove a point to Tohru, and to make sure no other shiki could hypnotize you, so even if you get unlucky, you won't die. Tohru, for the record the first person I fed on was my father. As you can clearly see, there is no special force causing me to stick with one person at a time." Tohru fell to his knees again.

"I guess Tatsumi truly was lying to me after all…I didn't want to believe I killed people for no reason" tears poured down his face "I don't want to have to hurt anyone…but….but i….i killed them! I killed them and I didn't have to! AGHHH!" He fell down sobbing. Natsuno put his arm around Tohru and whispered gently to him.

"You didn't know…there was nothing you could have done. To the best of your knowledge you couldn't spare them. For all you knew you had to kill them to live….i gotta say, I'm a little sore about you turning me into this, but I can understand why you might not believe me…so I forgive you." Tohru's eyes brightened.

"You….forgive me?" he said through his tears.

"Yeah…I was a bit angry at first…but when I saw Megumi laying into you I could see the guilt on your face and I knew my resentment was unreasonable. Especially when you felt so bad about what you did…just think, in a world where I didn't know you guys didn't have to kill, I might have tried to get revenge…I guess it doesn't matter. We're all here and were all safe." Megumi looked at Tohru angrily.

"But he still tried to kill you! What if he goes after me?" she protested. Natsuno smiled cheerfully at her.

"Well for one thing, you can't be hypnotized for a few days so you would be fine. And for another, I asked Tohru to protect you before he bit me that final time. That was probably the reason he didn't fight back. Didn't you think it was weird you could overpower him so easily?" Megumi's face went beet red. And she turned away.

"I'm sorry Tohru?" Natsuno said in a high pitched voice, gesturing to Megumi. The red on her face deepened.

"I…whatever…" she said, obviously frustrated. Tohru still looked distressed.

"So what now?" Tohru said, he was obviously curious what they would do with him.

"Well….we could always run away, I can certainly fight off Tatsumi like this" Megumi's face lightened up at that. "but…..i don't think it would be right to just let the whole village die, no matter how horrible they have been to me and Megumi." Natsuno was lost in thought for a moment.

"How do you plan to prevent it? Doctor Ozaki is hell bent on destroying all of us, Tatsumi told me so, and it's not like you can just convince the vampires not to kill anymore, just lo0k how hard it was with me…and were friends. Most of the turned shiki don't even like you" Natsuno thought even more deeply.

"But maybe I could convince doctor Ozaki not to hunt you guys down. Maybe he could find a cure….or at the very least something more peaceful" Natsuno smirked. "I could hypnotize him if it came to it…"

"But what about the shiki, you'd just be removing one of their obstacles." Natsuno looked deliberately at Tohru.

"That's where you and Sunako come in. you need to convince the other shiki not to kill people, that they don't need to and that they should move on from this village, or at the very least stop killing people if they want to stay..." Tohru gave him a shocked stare.

"Sunako? You know where she is?" he gasped.

"Yeah, she's with the Jr. monk Seshin..." "I'll just need to convince her to tell everyone the truth." Tohru looked at him still stunned.

"How in the hell will you do that? The others would rip her to shreds if they found out. Not to mention Tatsumi." Tohru said.

"Well, I could appeal to whatever better nature she has, of course there is always the threat of bodily harm too. And I can defend her, from the shiki and from Tatsumi. After all, it's not like convincing the doctor will take forever. I can do that right now." Natsuno said with false confidence.

"I…..i guess I can give that plan a shot." Tohru said reluctantly.

"What about me?' Megumi asked.

"Unless you want me to turn you into a vampire you need to stay safe, and you need to stay out of the way. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt." Megumi made a noise in protest but Natsuno shot her a fierce glare. "once this mess is sorted out we can flee the village or do whatever….but this is something I have to do." Megumi smiled sadly at him.

"I…..i don't want to do it, personally id sooner see this place burn down….but I can see that you really want this, I know you would never be happy if you didn't….i can accept it. Just promise you'll be safe." Natsuno smiled warmly at her. Then Tohru asked one final question.

"If were to do this then what should I start doing?"

"You can live in my house for now Tohru, I'm sure Tatsumi won't hesitate to pick you off if you defect. I've gotta see doctor Ozaki soon, Megumi, you need to head home too. I'm sure your parents are worried." The two nodded and went their separate ways.

**The next morning.**

"Subject is kyoko Ozaki. She died five days ago due to blood loss. These creatures seem to take two to three days to rise up, that way they won't be discovered. But in kyoko's case it seems to be taking much longer. Whether that is because of the ice or because of some unknown factor remains to be seen. I was planning to discard the body after the fourth day, but then the EEG showed a minor brain response to stimuli. I shall extend my holding period until the subject rises. Let this be a record of all future events that transpire with the subject….I'll have to cut this section short, someone seems to be knocking on the clinic door." Ozaki flipped the camera switch off and proceeded to walk down the short flight of steps to the clinic entrance, fishing for a cigarette the whole walk. He managed to light it and open the door at the same time. There stood Natsuno standing several feet back from the threshold, hands in his pockets, looking around nonchalantly.

"Hey doc." Natsuno was about to step into the clinic when a powerful fear washed over him. He tried to hide his reaction but it wasn't quite skilled enough to escape the doctor's notice.

"You can come In Natsuno." He muttered knowingly.

"Thanks….so I can see you know…. _damn, I thought I could hold it over him and that he wouldn't notice."_ Natsuno cursed under his breath.

"Well I had my suspicions. I was the one who authorized your body pickup. But I can see you're one of the rare vampires. Like that blue haired devil." Ozaki took a long drag on his cigarette before releasing a cloud of smoke into the air. "So what do you want? Were you ordered to kill me?" Natsuno chuckled.

"Doc I think you're misunderstanding, I'm not with them. They don't even know I exist yet." Ozaki's eyes lit up.

"So…..then what do you want from me? Be honest." He smirked back. Natsuno shot him a strong look.

"I was hoping we could find a cure…or some kind of treatment for this whole vampire thing." Ozaki nearly swallowed his cigarette in surprise.

"You've been talking with Seshin haven't you…does he know of your current state?" Natsuno quickly denied the doctor. "Well. _It might be a bit late to convince Natsuno of what needs to be done, but he could still prove useful to me…_ as it just so happens, I have a research subject. Come with me." Natsuno followed the doctor up the stairs and peered into the room the doctor gestured to.

'who is that?" Natsuno asked quietly.

"That's my wife kyoko….she was killed by them five days ago, I'm just waiting for her to rise up so I can study the vampires."

"Shiki" Natsuno said.

"What?" Ozaki replied in surprise.

"They call themselves shiki" Natsuno retorted.

"Whatever…anyway I plan to study her…. _ill find their weaknesses so we can purge them from existence once and for all."_ He smiled at Natsuno. It was a bit unsettling but Natsuno returned an uncomfortable grin.

"How do you know shell consent to what you plan? It's pretty traumatizing when they first rise." Ozaki turned away from Natsuno.

"It's not like I'll do anything life threatening," he lied. "Besides, I'm her husband, she should trust me…but that doesn't matter right now. I've got you right here! Do you mind if I examine you? Just quickly of course, I want to ensure you're healthy.' Natsuno stared into a pair of cold eyes.

"I guess you can take a quick look."

**i hope everyone has a happy time with family, best wishes for all and i hope you enjoyed**


	23. Chapter 23

**here you guys go, i hope you enjoy, chapter is a tad on the short side, but its less explanatory then the last so its good. anyway please leave a comment/review or send me a pm.**

Natsuno nervously looked around the clinic as Ozaki led him to a room. He didn't know what the doctor had planned for him, all he did know was that he wanted to do some kind of research…..and the smell...ever since Natsuno rose from Tohru's embrace into his current form, all his senses had seemed to intensify. He could smell faint things clearly, and strong things were almost overbearing. Strong things like the acidic smell of the tobacco in the doctor's cigarette were especially harsh. He curled his nose as Ozaki puffed a ring of smoke in his direction.

"so doctor….what exactly are you planning to do with your wife if she rises?" Natsuno inquired innocently enough. Ozaki never even looked back at Natsuno while the two walked.

"i just want to research shiki. I want to see what makes them tick…. _i especially want to see how I can kill them, once I can purge the village of these monsters I can keep everyone safe."_ Ozaki thought with a bit of smug satisfaction.

"so…your planning to find a cure or something then?" Natsuno asked, holding out a faint hope that the doctor hadn't truly been driven to madness…certainly he wouldn't have thought as much before Tohru's visit to the clinic….but once he saw the doctor swearing and throwing things like a child...it dashed his faith in him….not to say Natsuno himself was any better, after all, he did snap at Megumi, and her only crime in this world was that she tried to console him in a moment of weakness….but Tohru was his best friend, so it excused his rash behavior….no...no it didn't, even Natsuno could see that much.

"something like that..." Ozaki said with a slight chuckle… he opened a door and led Natsuno into a chair facing the center of the room. "take a seat." Natsuno did as requested and Ozaki pulled up a chair in front of him. "now first I want you to tell me how you ended up like this. From the beginning, and in full detail"

"well.. _should I mention Tohru's involvement in this? Maybe not right at the moment…_ I heard a tapping on my window late at night," Natsuno shivered a bit as he elaborated further. " I went to check it when I heard a familiar voice.'

"who's voice exactly?" Ozaki said as he readied a pen and paper.

"just something familiar….i don't quite remember who. Anyway, like a fool I decided to open the window to look. The shiki grabbed my arm and bit me…. _i wont mention the chase I gave him either..._ i guess he hypnotized me because I don't remember his face...on the third night I accepted my fate, pleading with...whoever...it was, not to hurt the people I cared about." Ozaki seemed to sneer.

"im sure that did a lot of good..." he scoffed. Natsuno flashed him angry red eyes.

"it certainly seemed to….for all the intent to kill I saw in his eyes, I also saw some spark, some semblance of humanity left. Doc, these creatures aren't monsters….not totally..." Ozaki seemed to be suppressing laughter.

"i never said they weren't" he lied. "you don't need to convince me of anything Natsuno, im going to try my hardest to find a solution." the doctor reassured him. "anyway, tell me about you, how you feel now that you have turned into...this."

"well...i'd say not entirely different… but my senses seem to be sharper. I can hear faint noises clearly, I can smell weak scents, I can even see farther than I used to…taste too, I can taste food more intensely, even if eating it doesn't fill me up very much." Ozaki looked at him queerly.

"doesn't fill you up? What do you mean?" he readied the pen and paper. Natsuno stared guiltily at him for a moment.

"well….eating seems to only be for pleasure now….when I drink blood however, that fills me up more than any meal ive ever had before." Natsuno said, looking even more culpable.

"so what your saying is…." Natsuno could hear the doctors heart pounding faster and faster. He didn't know whether it was out of fear or anger, but it made him uncomfortable all the same.

"yeah...on my dad..." Natsuno said, clutching his arm so hard blood was about to come out.

"so your father is going to die then?" Ozaki said slightly agitated.. Natsuno stared back at him in surprise.

"what? No, of course not, I only fed once….i just feel guilty that I lost control….believe it or not, the shiki don't actually have to kill. They just need blood" Natsuno said matter of factly.

"so they're killing the villagers for no reason?!" Ozaki raised his voice as he thrashed about. Clearly enraged.

"whoa calm down. Its not that simple….the higher ups want to turn Sotoba into a vampire village. The lower shiki have been lied to, so they think the killing that they are doing is because its their only option to survive." Ozaki sat down after catching his breath.

"hmm...then I guess well have to do something about our little vampi...-shiki problem…." Natsuno tried to force a smile.

"you can surely find a cure when your wife rises. I didn't smell any decay on her...well, look I should probably get going for now.." Ozaki smiled devilishly. And Natsuno turned. But then remembered something. "doc, before I go, let me bite you." Ozaki nearly spat in surprise.

"are you completely insa...i mean...why do you need to?" he corrected himself.

"you are a target for them, just as much as Tohru was, and as much as Seishin and Megumi are. I want to hypnotize you just to make sure no one else can. That way if you are attacked, you'll only lose the blood from the one feeding as opposed to being drained forcibly." the doctor pondered the proposal for a moment, unsure of his trust in Natsuno.

"that sounds like a good idea actually….alright." he unbuttoned his lab coat and produced a patch of bare flesh on his arm. Natsuno quickly bit into it and soke to the doctor.

"i command you to never lose your free will." he said this clearly and deliberately as he stared into the docors eyes. Ozaki however was unsettled by the dark shade or red and black they turned as his command was issued. Ozaki paused for a moment. Then thanked Natsuno.

Natsuno turned to walk away, but right as he reached the door heard the doctor running. "doc, what are you doing?!" Natsuno turned but not quickly enough. Ozaki had slammed the blunt end of a wooden post into the back of his neck. "why?" was the last word Natsuno could mutter before he lost consciousness.

"sorry Natsuno… Its not much consolation, but what I learn from you and my wife will go a long way ensuring the safety of everyone else." Ozaki muttered as he stared angrily at the unconscious Natsuno.

**Several hours later.**

"log number three. Subject, "kyoko ozaki" rose soon after Natsuno's visit. A small portion of her face was exposed to direct sunlight. The skin started to splinter and crack within seconds. After a minute, it began to smoke and fragment away turning to dust and exposing the soft muscle tissue underneath, which also began to burn. I rushed her to the immediate care surgical bay in the clinic basement" ozki turned the camera to show the dim location. Various anesthetic medicines lined the walls, and a dim light with an operating table stood in its center. Kyoko lay there, bound and gagged. The table was stained with blood and urine and the scent of each hung thickly in the air.

"the subject showed no response to anesthetic. Every cut made afterward still seemed to illicit a pain response even if it healed in seconds. Agrochemical injections also showed no response….the sound of bells seems to frighten her, and religious statues such as this buddah" Ozaki pointed the camera at an extremely ornate copper statue. "terrified her to an extreme degree. Im unsure as to why, but perhaps her brain has been rewired….there's only one test left..." Ozaki said as he raised a stake and hammer.

**Meanwhile**

Natsuno awoke to a pounding headache. It took him a few moments for his eyes to adjust, but the blurry sensation, along with the pain soon faded. He tried to open his mouth to speak but found he couldn't. He nearly choked when he noticed the gag inside. Me moved his hands and legs. He couldn't more than a few inches, doctor Ozaki had bound them together with rope.

" _think Natsuno think…..what happened….i bit Ozaki...told him to act of his own will, then I walked away….i remember….yeah, he ran up to me….then I felt a sharp pain and now im here...did he hit me?"_ Natsuno struggled with his bindings…."wait.." he struggled as hard as he could against the ropes. They shredded like ribbons under the force of his pull. Once his hands and legs were free he removed the tape and gag in his mouth. Spitting out a ripped piece of lab coat. "right...i think I forgot to tell Ozaki about the strength jinrou have... _good thing, or I might be in a bad position..."_ Natsuno took a moment to look around the room. It was barren, no windows, greenish grey walls and some cleaning supplies. "he locked me in a storage closet?" Natsuno cursed under his breath. He walked to the door. Gave it a turn "locked from the outside..." Natsuno shrugged and hit the door as hard as he could, splintering it into pieces. He brushed the dust from his shoulder and stepped out into the ground floor of the clinic… "he's got a lot of explaining to do" Natsuno clenched a fist. Listening to see if Ozaki was still in the clinic somewhere. He heard the sound of a voice...and...screaming! He immediately leapt in the direction of the noise running as fast as he could down the stairs to the clinic basement. The sight he saw horrified him.

Right as he stepped into the operating room he saw Ozaki slam a hammer into a wooden stake.

"no!" Natsuno screeched as he propelled himself into the room. Ozaki, almost as if in a trance, slammed the hammer down a second time. Natsuno could hear the crunch of bones and smelled soiled blood and urine. A stench which hit him like a freight train. It was so utterly overpowering in fact that it caused Natsuno to stop dead in his tracks and vomit. Ozaki turned over to him and smirked.

"how did you get out of those restraints?" he asked with a half chuckle.

"what the hell doctor Ozaki?! You said you were going to find a solution! Why?! Why did you kill her?!" Ozaki stepped forward, eying Natsuno with an empty stare.

"i did find a solution." Natsuno slammed a fist into a wall, causing the drywall to crack. Ozaki merely scoffed.

"i thought you were going to try to cure her! Or at least do something. But why this?!" Ozaki glared back at Natsuno and casually lit a cigarette.

"don't you get it? This IS the solution. The only way to properly deal with these creatures is to exterminate them outright." he took a drag.

"they aren't monsters! They have thoughts and feelings and emotions! You can't just kill them!" Natsuno shrieked.

"sure you can. I just did as a matter of fact. You said yourself that you lost control. They all do and thats what make them dangerous. People will never accept them, they'll always live in fear that one day they could end up as a meal. The humane thing to do is to prevent either party from being tempted."

"don't you even care that this was your wife? What about all the experiences you guys shared?!" Natsuno pleaded.

"kyoko died a long time ago...i just put her back to rest." Ozaki said, Natsuno noticed how bitter he sounded. "please Natsuno, you have to understand how bad you are for humanity, you died, just accept the monster you became and let it end quickly." Ozaki pulled the stake out of kyoko.

"you don't have to rise to become a monster." he said as he stepped closer to Ozaki. The doctor charged him but Natsuno swiftly slammed him into the wall. He let the doctor drop, and picked up the stake. He raised it above ozaki's head.

"go ahead. You would only prove me right... _even if you kill me, the director or the nurse will find the footage and continue to hunt you down"_ Natsuno pondered it for a moment. He gave the doctor a swift, yet hard punch to the stomach to incapacitate him and started to run off. 'oh..*cough* I rescind my invitation, the clinic is off limits to you, never return here." Natsuno instantly felt a familiar jolt of fear and bolted from the property as fast as he could, trying to force the horrific image out of his mind..


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ozaki takes matters into his own hands, and natsuno puts his in sunako's

**hey guys sorry for the long wait, i got a little distracted with my other story and with work, started night shift, its twelve hours a day, but its only 3 to four days a week so i have a bit more time to write now. hopefully ill have more frequent uploads, but i never know**

" _what just happened?!"_ Natsuno ran as fast as he could away from the clinic. The images flashed through his mind. First… his bindings, the screaming from the lower room. With a jinrou's hearing, even at that distance Natsuno could hear every part of that woman's voice. Every click, every drop, every tone, all rang in his head with perfect… haunting…clarity. Just thinking of the noise sent chills down his spine. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight of her though. Even with black soulless eyes, Natsuno could see the fear…the betrayal, she must have been feeling…and he could see the pure savage rage in the doctor's. he struggled to hold back tears. For as cold as Natsuno was, he was still human…. or he at least felt like one. As he ran forward a billion thoughts raced through his mind.

" _what do I do?! Do I call the police? But…they wouldn't believe me...how would I explain escaping from my bindings to them? No…maybe I just need help…"_ Natsuno made a hard left, bolting into the forest. The speed of his step caused the air around him to blow the tree branches, rustling the leaves. " _Seshin! He should know what to do."_ Natsuno thought as he turned course for the abandoned temple. " _he'd be seeing Sunako right about now"_ Natsuno shuddered again as the sight of the bloodied stake forced its way into his mind. That memory was by far the worst. He only saw it for a brief moment, but it burnt a hole in his psyche. " _lights…"_ he thought with relief as the cathedral's candles amber light popped into his line of sight. He stopped himself, it was difficult due to the inertia however and he had to press the door to slow his body down. He opened it with force, and strode into the room panting heavily.

"what's wrong Natsuno?" Seshin said as the haggard teen sat himself on a pew next to Sunako. She grabbed a cloth and started to dab the sweat from his forehead.

"ozaki! He… his wife. I-I can't" he said as he started to hyperventilate. Sunako looked at him knowingly, but Seshin was still confused.

"just slow down. Tell me from the beginning." He said with a warm smile.

"I…. *huff* wanted to see doctor ozaki to help me look for a peaceful solution to the vampire problem. Ii could hear machines running upstairs and saw his wife…or her corpse… the doctor said he wanted to study her after she rose. He lied to me, saying that he wanted to try and find a cure." Seshin took a deep breath.

"lied?"

"he hit me over the head with something…. I didn't see it in time and it knocked me out for a few hours. I woke up in a closet, bound and gagged. With my strength it was easy enough to escape, but as I walked down to confront him, I heard screaming." Natsuno shook his head again. "I opened the door…and…" Natsuno paused.

"and what?" Seshin asked, growing more concerned by the second.

"I saw…. I saw her tied to a table. The doctor had just finished hammering a stake into her heart." Natsuno and Sunako shivered at the same time.

"how many times did he swing the hammer." Sunako lamented. Natsuno locked eyes with her, he still harbored resentment towards the small vampiress, but couldn't help but pity her.

"at least twice…maybe three times." Natsuno stuttered. "why?"

"I was just thinking…if they did that to me would it go in in one swing? How badly would it hurt?" tears started to pool in her eyes. Natsuno scoffed.

"it always comes back to you doesn't it" he spat through gritted teeth. She shrank back a bit as Seshin calmly intervened.

"now, now. You two should stop getting in each other's throats, literally. Sunako is trying to get better. But it's not like it can happen instantly." Natsuno clicked his tongue derisively.

"the worst part of all of it…. I think he'd been experimenting on her, I saw lots of tools and chemicals on the racks by the operating table… I can't imagine how much she suffered." He rubbed his forehead.

"well…. I suppose I'm the best person you could have told." Seshin got up, staggered for a moment, and took a seat closer to Natsuno. "though I'm not sure what I can do about it" he took a deep breath.

"what's wrong Seshin? I can hear your heart pounding out of your chest. The monk whipped sweat from his forehead.

"I've had to feed on him tonight…. I wanted to go and hunt on my own, minus the killing this time, but…." her black eyes darted to Seshin.

"I told her that it wasn't safe. Tatsumi was probably looking for her." Natsuno whistled sarcastically.

"either way, I need to tell you something." The two nodded. "Tohru rose up…. we had an altercation but it ended on a good note…. but, I want you guys to try and help the others."

"the other shiki? But why?" Sunako prodded.

"I hate the village…. I truly do, and I'd be more than happy to forget I ever met the vampires…. but most don't deserve to die, and neither do the villagers. I couldn't live with myself if I ran like a coward. But honestly I just want to take megumi and Tohru and escape. I want you and Seshin to try and convince the other shiki to stop the killings. Maybe to even leave sotoba too. I think it would go a lot faster if you two helped, I could even get Tohru to go with you, he's living at my place for the moment.

"I'm feeling a bit weak...but take Sunako and go with Tohru. I'm sure two shiki can convince the others, just stick behind them in case anything goes wrong." Natsuno sighed.

"I suppose that would work… it's just" Natsuno looked away guiltily.

"what?"

"this makes me feel inhuman…. but can I take a little blood? I have no strength without it… so I doubt I'd be much good to keep watch" Seshin sighed and produced an arm. Natsuno plunged his fangs in and took a small sip. The taste sent shivers of pleasure down his spine and he was tempted to drink his fill. But in the heat of ecstasy pulled away. He looked at Sunako. "just to prove we can control ourselves." He said, panting as he looked at one of seshin's veins longingly.

**Meanwhile**

" _Natsuno really did let me go?"_ the doctor thought as he sat in a pool of blood. He looked at kyoko's body, broken and bloodied. Not even for a second did he feel a shred of guilt for what he'd done. " _she really is dead, gone permanently…. I suppose that would make her the 400_ _th_ _. Amazing that these vampires could take so many villagers in just a two short months. Its time I did something about them in earnest."_ The doctor slowly rose from the horrific scene. Without a second thought he tossed his blood soaked lab coat on kyoko's face and proceeded up the clinic floor. He went into the shower room, taking off his clothes, he turned the heat up as high as it would go. He sat there for a long time. Letting the boiling water wash away the caked blood and chemicals on his skin, unfazed by the extreme heat. He finally found the motivation to leave. After dawning a fresh set of clothes he walked over to the filing cabinet.

" _I suppose I should call a government agency or something…. I'll take all of these death certificates to the records building as proof of our problem."_ He thought as he gathered countless documents into a crate. It was heavy, almost too heavy. He walked away from the blood soaked clinic into the red sedan. "locked…. damn." he set the files on the roof of the car and proceeded to walk back into the clinic operating room. Careful to avoid the blood, he yanked the lab coat away from kyoko and started to frisk her. "here we are." He said as he pulled the keys from her back pocket, leaving the body slumped halfway on the table and suspended in the air. He returned to the car, unlocked it, and placed the files in the passenger's seat.

"kyoko really had tacky taste." He said as he looked at the brown leather of the seats. The doctor set the gear in drive and peeled off into the night, moon at his back. After a few moments of reckless driving he finally staggered into the building with the files in hand. " _I hope I don't need to bring the copies in as well"_ he thought irritably as he walked up to the clerk at the front desk.

"my my! How can I help you today" the man said with a friendly smile. The doctor looked at him closely.

" _pale skin and dark eyes?"_ he lit a cigarette. "I need you to fax these files to the emergency response team in Tokyo. As I'm sure you know, the deaths have gotten out of hand. I've figured out what needs to be done, so we can finally call for aid." The man laughed politely.

Oh my, there haven't been any deaths in the village. That's a funny joke." The doctor was taken aback. He stood mouth agape for a moment. Letting the cigarette fall to the floor.

"what are you talking about? People have been dropping left and right, at least 400 in the last two months alone! I've personally signed every single one!" he shouted. The man's eyes turned red and he grabbed the doctor's wrist. He clenched down with an icy grip so cold the doctor thought he might get frostbite.

"no. there were no deaths in the village. Those files you have are obvious forgeries." The man spat through gritted teeth.

"you, you're one of them." The doctor grabbed a pencil from the cup on the desk and was about to plunge it in the man's heart.

"stop right there, doctor." The doctor heard a seductive voice, and seconds later a curvaceous woman with honey blonde hair in a revealing outfit came waltzing into the room, hips shaking with every step. "mhhmm." She giggled as she put her hand over her mouth. "what the man holding your wrist said is true. No deaths, nothing wrong. This village is perfectly fine." Ozaki struggled in the grip, turning his sights on the woman.

"I'll kill you, bitch!" he spat as he swung the pencil in her direction. She laughed coyly.

'take a look around. Take a **close** look at all of the people in this office." The doctor started to sweat as he scanned the office. First he saw only the normal things, the flickering fluorescent tubes used as lights. The cubicles adorned in cream colored wallpaper. But when it came to the people. All of them, down to the last man. All had sickly pale skin and black eyes. Without even a second thought the doctor knew he was outmatched. He looked at her defiantly.

"so what? You're all vampires? I'll still find a way." He spat defiantly to no one in particular. she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a sensual way. She whispered sweetly in his ear.

"now doctor. There is no need to make such a fuss. If you can't behave yourself then we can just have a feeding frenzy right here, just like at the clinic with Tohru. But truth be told, we don't need you dead yet. You still have to keep the village under control. So be a good boy and keep everyone calm and you can be the last one to feed us. We won't even make it painful. But if you keep raising a fuss I'll have them rip you to pieces." He looked at the other vampires, staring reluctantly at the woman.

"we just have to feed on him right? Why tear him up?" one of the timid ones asked. She glared at him.

"because I said so. And anyone who doesn't participate gets to rot in the sun." they all gulped and nodded in agreement. "alright then, let me into your little clinic." She heeled his foot as she sank her fangs into his neck.

" _only do things according to your own will"_ Natsuno's words echoes in his mind. The doctor was tempted to defy her and jam the pencil into her chest right there, but a thought crept into his mind.

" _yes"_ he said without emotion _"alright, I'll play your game."_

**hope you all liked, please leave a review and stuff!**


End file.
